The Model Work Health and Safety Act forms the basis of the WHS Acts being enacted across Australia to harmonise work health and safety law. For the Act to be legally binding it needs to be enacted or passed by Parliament in each jurisdiction. Information on each jurisdiction’s progress in implementing the new laws can be found here on the Safe Work Australia website.
The Model Work Health and Safety Act provide model laws to be enacted in each jurisdiction, allowing for minor variations where necessary to achieve consistency with other laws and processes. Most jurisdictions have now developed legislation to give effect to the Model Work Health and Safety Act, including the Commonwealth.
The Model Work Health and Safety Act is the result of extensive consultation and was released for public comment in September 2009. It was endorsed by the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council on 11 December 2009 and finalised in June 2011.
More information on the Model Work Health and Safety Act is available from Safe Work Australia.