Your Rights at Work: Tell our Governments

It is time to remind our governments that Australian workers cannot live with second rate safety standards.

Reducing death, injury and illness at work is a top priority for working people and unions.

Australian governments are planning new national Occupational Health and Safety laws that will apply consistently across all states and territories.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lift protections for workers by achieving the world’s best safety standards for the entire country.

But Australian unions are very concerned that rather than improve safety for all, the proposed new laws will actually undermine standards, putting Australian workers and their families at risk. And that’s just not good enough.

Through the ‘Don’t Risk Second Rate Safety’ campaign, unions are calling on government to adopt national laws that:

Give workers a say
Make employers responsible
Empower health and safety representatives
Respect the role of unions
Enable workers and unions to take court action

Tell our governments - Don't Risk 2nd Rate Safety

Tell our Governments Action

SEND TO

New South Wales
The Hon John Hatzistergos MLC, Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations

The Hon Joseph Tripodi MP, Minister for Finance, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minster for Ports and Waterways

Victoria
The Hon Martin Pakula MP, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Industrial Relations

The Hon Tim Holding MP, Minister for Finance, WorkCover and Transport Accident Commission, Minister for Water, Minister for Tourism and Major Events

Queensland
The Hon Cameron Dick MP, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations.

Western Australia
The Hon Troy Buswell MLA, Treasurer, Minister of Commerce, Science and Innovation, Housing and Works

South Australia
The Hon Paul Caica MP, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development

Tasmania
The Hon Lisa Singh MP, Minister for Workplace Relations, Minister for Corrections and Consumer Protection

Australian Capital Territory
Mr John Hargreaves MLA, Minister for Disability and Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Corrections

Northern Territory
The Hon Robert Knight MLA, Minister for Housing, Minister for Local Government, Minister for Essential Services, Minister for Public Employment

YOUR MESSAGE

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Dear Ministers

I am writing to you to express my deep concern with proposals to change our workplace health and safety laws.

Despite the many improvements that have been achieved in this area, there are still too many Australians who are injured, become sick or die because of their work.

The proposed new ‘harmonised’ laws are a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have the best possible health and safety laws for Australians. They should not be used as an excuse to cut red tape for employers at the expense of workers.

The new health and safety laws need to:

1.Give workers a say
Employees should have the right to be consulted by their employer over all work-related matters that affect their health and safety.

2.Make employers responsible
There should be an unqualified obligation on employers to provide a safe and healthy workplace and when something goes wrong, employers must prove they did not break the law.

3.Empower health and safety representatives
Workers should be able to elect health and safety representatives who, under the laws, have the highest standards of rights, powers and protections to do their job.

4.Respect the role of unions
The proposed new laws must ensure unions can represent workers effectively and employees can call on their union to immediately inspect suspected safety breaches without notice. This role for unions is important as there are often not enough government workplace inspectors.

5.Enable workers and unions to take court action

When government regulators fail to take action, the right for victims, with their unions, to take court action against employers for breaching health and safety laws is an important added protection.

Workers in Australia deserve to be able to go to work and come home safely again – this has to be a high priority for all governments, yours included.

I urge you to stand up for health and safety and ensure workers and their families do not lose out but gain additional rights and protections.

Regards
[INSERT NAME]
[ADDRESS]

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