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COMMITTEE’S REPORT

The Finance and Administration Committee tabled its Report No. 39, 54^th Parliament – Work Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 on Tuesday 25 March 2014. The Minister tabled the Government's response to this report on 1 April 2014. The Bill was passed by the Queensland Parliament on 3 April 2014.

ABOUT THE BILL

On 13 February 2014 the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Hon Jarrod Bleijie MP, introduced the Work Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 to the Queensland Parliament. In accordance with Standing Order 131, the Bill was referred to the Finance and Administration Committee.

The objective of the Bill is to implement the findings from the Queensland Government’s review of national model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws which commenced in Queensland on 1 January 2012.

The Bill will amend the Electrical Safety Act 2002 and the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act).  The explanatory notes state that the Bill will amend the legislation to:

• require at least 24 hours notice by WHS entry permit holders before they can enter a workplace to inquire into a suspected contravention to align with the other entry notification periods in the WHS Act and the Fair Work Act 2009;
• increase penalties for non-compliance with WHS entry permit conditions and introduce penalties for failure to comply with the entry notification requirements;
• require at least 24 hours notice before any person assisting a health and safety representative can have access to the workplace;
• remove the power of health and safety representatives to direct workers to cease unsafe work;
• remove the requirement under the WHS Act for a person conducting a business or undertaking to provide a list of health and safety representatives to the WHS regulator;
• allow for codes of practice adopted in Queensland to be varied or revoked without requiring national consultation as required by the WHS Act, and
• increase the maximum penalty that can be prescribed for offences in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2002 to 300 penalty units.

The Committee was required to report on the Bill by Tuesday 25 March 2014.

PUBLIC BRIEFING AND PUBLIC HEARING

Public briefing – 5 March 2014 – Transcript
Public hearing – 5 March 2014 – Transcript           

SUBMISSIONS

The date for written submissions closed on 28 February 2014. Please view them under the “Submissions” tab above.