This weekend, all the talk in Australia has been about the massive and unexpected electoral swing to the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the federal election. Most pundits were expecting a majority government, at least, but now the ALP has a substantial majority in the House of Representatives. Possible constraints from a new Senate have …
Australia is in federal election mode so new political statements are emerging daily. Recently controversy has arisen about the inclusion of Welcome to Country at non-major events. Many organisations lead their meetings with an Acknowledgement of Country which acknowledges the historical ownership of Australia by its indigenous populations. Recently while reflecting on the International Workers Memorial Day, occupational health and …
International Worker Memorial Day (IWMD) events are usually moving and solemn occasions. Today’s event in Melbourne, Victoria, was a good example, but something was missing, especially given the calibre of dignitaries who were present. (A list of most of them is below) Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari was on message as the first formal …
The latest annual occupational health and safety (OHS) breakfast seminar by the Australian Institute of Health and Safety tried a different format with mixed success. These seminars have run almost continuously at the offices of Herbert Smith Freehills for a couple of decades, and perhaps a refresh was required, but there was one noticeable absence …
Michael Belzer and Michael Quinlan have outlined the economics of occupational health and safety (OHS) in the editorial of the latest edition of The Economic and Labour Relations Review. This contrasts with earlier research about the business case for OHS as it broadens the pool of influences more broadly. They write: “The economic approaches to …
Last week, WorkSafe Victoria held its annual Business Leaders’ Breakfast. The keynote speaker was Karen Maher, who spoke about the need for an effective and respectful workplace culture that would foster a healthy psychosocial environment. Her presentation would have been familiar to many of the occupational health and safety (OHS) and WorkSafe personnel in the …
I don’t believe that International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) or the World Day for Safety and Health at Work should be held on any day other than April 28 each year. I don’t think Christmas should be moved or ANZAC Day. All these days are of significant cultural importance in Australia, and each of these … Continue reading “Workplace deaths are convenient for no one”
