The latest minutes from the Western Australian Ministerial Advisory Panel on Safety Legislation Reform have confirmed what probably comes as no surprise to anyone anymore – that the proposed Work Health and Safety (Resources) Bill has been delayed yet again, this time by about 6 months.
The minutes of the meeting record:
Work Health and Safety (Resources) Bill
Parliamentary Counsel’s Office (PCO) commenced drafting the Bill during February 2016 and is continuing to liaise with DMP during the drafting process.
However, due to delays in this drafting process, the Department has obtained approval from the Minister to postpone implementation of the legislation to 1 July 2017. An updated timeline has been provided to MAP members as Attachment 3.
It is expected that the Bill will be ready for introduction to Parliament in August 2016.
Given that a State election is pencilled in for March 2017, I would not be rushing to adjust my safety management processes on the basis of legislative changes anytime soon.
My Safety Thoughts 