Summary

This book critically analyses the Model Work Health and Safety Bill, which is the pivotal legal instrument upon which the harmonisation of work health and safety regulation in Australia is based.This Model Act has already been adopted from 1 January 2012 in some Australian jurisdictions - the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Queensland, ACT and Northern Territory (later in South Australia and Tasmania) - and is the culmination of a long process which gained renewed impetus with a National Review of Model Occupational Health and Safety Laws commissioned by the Federal Government on behalf of all Australian governments in April 2008.The book explains the origins of the Model Act, analyses its provisions, outlines practical issues, including potential difficulties, in their application and makes suggestions for further debate to develop the harmonised provisions. It explores the potential of the harmonised health and safety laws and assesses their adequacy to guide us through the challenges of the next century.