Labor is pleased and proud that Tasmania has joined the rest of the country on the path to passing industrial manslaughter reform, with the safe passage of our bill through the House of Assembly today.

Tasmanian Labor stands for safe, secure and well-paid jobs, and this is a win for workers.

This law will increase protections for Tasmanian workers while they are on the job, helping to make sure that every Tasmanian worker can come home safe after a day’s work.

It also sends a clear message that workplace safety is a critically important issue, and appropriate safety protocols must be implemented and followed to prevent any deaths in the workplace.

While the vast majority of employers take their responsibility to protect workers very seriously, unfortunately we have seen too many deaths in the workplace over the last 10 years – the bill passed today will start to change that.

Tasmanian Labor has consulted widely with the union movement and throughout the business community in developing this bill, we would like to thank and acknowledge stakeholders for their contributions which have informed our bill.

It is disappointing that Jeremy Rockliff and the Tasmanian Liberals continued their opposition to the Bill. They have again demonstrated their contempt for working people.

Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader
Shadow Minister for Jobs, Workplace Relations and Safety