Simon Corbell has announced today that all of the 28 recommendations made by the Getting Home Safely report have been accepted by the ACT government.
“Work has already started within Government. We will introduce a package of measures to ensure the implementation of the recommendations and will ensure the improvements we make are sustainable.”
Mr Corbell said it was anticipated that legislation to establish the Industrial Magistrate would be before the Legislative Assembly in June.
Consultation with stakeholders to introduce an active certification process for government contracts was also underway.
“The Government will also ensure that the additional staff employed by WorkSafe are utilised to assist industry and construction companies and workers to meet their safety obligations. This will be about being more visible, more ready to provide help and advice and not just about enforcement,” he said.
Mr Corbell said the Government was also committed to ensuring its workers compensation and work health and safety schemes were sustainable in the long term.
“The Government has decided it will progressively transfer the cost of regulating the workers’ compensation and WHS legislation to workers’ compensation insurers and self-insurers by way of a levy. I anticipate introducing the enabling legislation to apportion WHS costs later this year,” he said.
“For employers, this means workers’ compensation policies that are renewed after 1 July 2013 are likely to be increased as a result of the levy. For an employer with an annual wages bill of $150,000, this will mean paying up to $22.50 extra for a workers’ compensation insurance policy in 2013-14.”
Ensuring that workers are appropriately covered by workers compensation arrangements is a key commitment of the government. New arrangements to place the enforcement and oversight of workers compensation schemes on a sustainable basis is one part of ensuring we develop a better safety culture in the construction sector.
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