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ARTICLE · 08 MAY 2019

WHS laws: change is on its way

Mellor Olsson
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Article discusses review of WHS laws, why it was needed, findings and recommendations and what it all means for businesses.

AustraliaEmployment and HR
Adam Crichton
Adam Crichton
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In 2011, Safe Work Australia developed a single set of Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws which have been implemented almost nationwide. These are referred to as 'model' laws and to date, only Victoria and Western Australia have not enacted them.

The model laws consist of the model WHS Act, model WHS Regulations and model Codes of Practice and are established under a three tier system. The model Codes of Practice provide guidance on how to comply with the legal obligations prescribed in the Act and Regulations and are intended to compliment the legislation.

These model laws were the subject of a comprehensive review in 2018 by Marie Boland, the former Executive Director of Safework SA.

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