Tasmanian Labor will bring on industrial manslaughter legislation for debate in parliament today to protect workers who have been let down by the Liberal government’s inaction on workplace safety for far too long.

The Liberal Government has been left behind the rest of the nation when it comes to protecting workers.  It is the only State Government to not have legislated or tabled these laws.

The Liberals have kicked the can down the road for so long on this issue that we’ve lost faith that they will take action to implement the laws.  This puts workers at greater risk.

Labor stands for well-paid, safe and secure jobs, and these can’t exist if workers aren’t protected.

We have worked closely with the union movement to ensure the legislation we’ve tabled will do what it is supposed to do, and keep workers safe without unintended consequences.

The ball is now well and truly in the Liberals’ court – do they support safe workplaces, or not?

There is no justification for not backing these laws to encourage all employers to provide safe workplaces and hold to account those who do not.

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