Statement on Labor’s workplace manslaughter law
During debate on the Workplace Safety Legislation Amendment (Workplace Manslaughter and Other Matters) Bill 2019, the Liberal ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾s moved a series of significant amendments to make the law fairer.
Under the Andrews Labor Government’s unfair law, rogue co-workers who disregard safety instructions and contribute to the death of a fellow worker will get off scot-free.
That doesn’t keep workers safe, and it undermines the concept of joint responsibility between employers and employees which has underpinned our workplace safety system for decades.
The Liberal ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾s’ amendments would have ensured that co-workers who cause the death of their fellow workmates would be treated equally under the law with the owners of businesses.
We also moved to add common sense protections for family members who work together. We don’t want to see situations where, for example, a person is sent to jail if one of their family members tragically dies in a farm accident – they would already be dealing with tragedy, and shouldn’t have the threat of jail hanging over their heads as well.
Labor, The Greens and Independents who voted against these amendments have failed to stand up for fairness.
