Plans for a national harmonised safety system
COAG reveals early OHS harmonisation plans
The Council of Australian Governments has revealed plans for the implementation of a nationally harmonised OHS system, with a model OHS Act draft to be released in March next year. The states would then enact mirror legislation to achieve a harmonised system.
In its first meeting of 2008 in Adelaide in late March, the Council said the model OHS Act draft and accompanying regulatory impact statement would be submitted to the Workplace Relations Ministers' Council by September 2009, after consultation with stakeholders.
The Council also endorsed a national OHS review reporting to the WRMC in September this year. While COAG is pushing hard for a harmonisation of OHS systems, harmonisation of worker's compensation jurisdictions may be much more difficult to achieve.
