ACT Workers Reject Standover By Feds

Friends and Family of Joel Exner were on hand to applaud The ACT becoming the first Australian jurisdiction to enact industrial manslaughter legislation.

The Federal Government attempted to bully the ACT into abandoning the new laws, but strong community support for the legislation saw it passed with support from minor parties and independents.

"For a Federal Government that has paid so much attention to the building industry it's astounding that when an opportunity comes along to do something about workers safety, they drop the bundle," says Andrew Ferguson, NSW Secretary of the CFMEU. "This result in the ACT is an important victory in our national campaign for tougher safety laws and more vigilant compliance.

"We will be continuing our campaign in NSW with fresh resolve."

ACT Industrial Relations Minister Ms Katy Gallagher says that the new legislation sends a strong signal to workers and employers.

"When a worker dies at work, and it's someone else's fault, it's a crime," says Gallagher. "We're supporting workers by placing a value on their safety."

Gallagher said that critics who claimed that the legislation did nothing for OHS were incorrect, as her office had been inundated with industry attempting to get its workplaces up to scratch.

"We've had OH&S Legislation for 14 years but it's only with the passage of this Bill that some areas of industry are now getting up to standard," says Gallagher.

Gallagher noted that industries with good OH&S systems had nothing to fear from the new laws.

To discuss this and many other interesting OH & S topics visit our discussion boards at http://unionsafe.labor.net.au/shoptalk/

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Last modified: Tuesday, 15-Nov-2005 20:37:38 EST