Occupational health and safety - national harmonisation
There is a move towards a national harmonisation of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) laws in Australia. The reforms were intended to introduce a consistent approach to OHS across all jurisdictions, which would have been of particular benefit to not-for-profits operating interstate. You can read more about the background to the national model workplace health and safety laws at:
Victorian reforms on hold
Despite commitments by the former State Government, in 2012 Victoria indicated that while it supports the principle of national harmonisation, it will not be adopting the national model workplace health and safety laws in their current form.
This view was supported by a PricewaterhouseCoopers report commissioned by the Victorian Government which found that adopting the national laws could cost Victoria $3.4 billion over 5 years and would not result in significant safety benefits. The Victorian Government is considering this report, however for the time being Victoria's existing occupational health and safety laws and regulations will continue to apply. To read the report, go to: