We are committed to promoting safe workplaces, with a focus on ensuring that our work health and safety laws are appropriate to both large and small Western Australian businesses.
Likewise, we advocate for a fair and sustainable workers’ compensation system that balances the needs of injured workers with those of their employer. We believe that it is important to have a scheme that protects those workers who are genuinely injured and minimises the opportunity for abuse of the system.
We’re working for
- Harmonisation of our work health and safety laws in line with the national model system, which takes into consideration WA-specific issues.
- The development of practical, user friendly, codes of practices and guidelines on safety matters.
- Proactive focus by regulators on both education and compliance.
- The Western Australian State Government to act on key recommendations from the 2014 review of the workers’ compensation system.
What we’ve been up to
CCIWA is standing up for WA businesses against attempts by the WA Government to introduce industrial manslaughter law that exposes business owners to 10 years in jail if an accident occurs on their worksites – even if they haven’t been reckless or negligent.
CCIWA has been working with successive WA Governments to bring the state Occupational Health and Safety Act in line with the national model laws that operates across most of Australia. As part of Government’s consultation on the regulations to support these changes we are advocating for streamlining the model regulations to remove unnecessary red tape to create a system which makes it easier for small business to comply with their obligations whilst allowing WA businesses that operate in other states and territories to adopt, to the extent possible, a single set of safety processes across their operations.
CCIWA has raised concerns about the lack of evidence to justify proposed changes to the national model Work Health and Safety Laws arising from the recent Boland Review. One of the key recommendations is the introduction of Industrial Manslaughter provisions which have not been effective in improving safety outcomes in either the ACT or UK where they have been in place for over a decade. CCIWA is encouraging the Government to focus on strategies to prevent workplace injuries and deaths.
Working with the Western Australian State Government as part of its Ministerial Advisory Panel in relation to the harmonisation of Western Australia’s work health and safety legislation with the model national legislation.
Representing the interests of employers as a member of the Commission for Occupations Safety and Health and other safety working groups.
Providing input into the review of codes of practice and other guidance material.
Making submissions to Safe Work Australia regarding its review of the National Work Health and Safety legislation.
Encouraging the Western Australian State Government to take meaningful steps to address workplace fatalities.
