MEDIA RELEASE: AIHS CALLS FOR MEANINGFUL CONSULTATION WITH WHS PROFESSION ON PROPOSED NSW REFORM
Date: 11/08/2025
The Australian Institute of Health & Safety (AIHS) is urging the NSW Government to ensure that proposed changes to workers’ compensation laws and new WHS duties for digital work systems are informed by meaningful, structured consultation with the workplace health and safety profession.
The Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment (Reform and Modernisation) Bill 2025, introduced to Parliament last week, comes while the Government’s previous workers’ compensation bill remains the subject of ongoing consultation through the Public Accountability and Works Committee. With that process still underway, it is important that any further reforms are not rushed ahead without allowing due consideration of existing feedback and recommendations.
The new bill combines significant amendments to workers’ compensation entitlements with the introduction of new duties for persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) that use digital work systems to allocate work.
AIHS Chair Cameron Montgomery said that while both the sustainability of the workers’ compensation scheme and the health and safety implications of emerging technologies are important issues, legislative reform must be underpinned by robust engagement with those who understand the practical realities of managing workplace health and safety.
“Reforms of this scale need to be informed by the people who will be responsible for applying them on the ground,” Mr Montgomery said.
“WHS professionals are at the frontline of protecting workers, preventing harm, and ensuring compliance. If legislation is to achieve its intended outcomes without creating unintended risks or barriers, the profession’s expertise must be embedded in the policy design process.”
The AIHS emphasised that the WHS profession can provide critical insight into how proposed laws will work in practice, how they align with existing duties, and how they may affect both physical and psychological health and safety outcomes.
“We support the principle that work health and safety laws should evolve to reflect new risks, including those arising from digital systems and artificial intelligence,” Mr Montgomery said.
“However, rushed processes or limited consultation risk undermining the effectiveness of reforms. To get this right, governments need to invest in genuine engagement with the WHS profession, before finalising changes.”
The AIHS urges that the final legislation be shaped through broad, constructive consultation so that it delivers practical reforms that genuinely improve health and safety outcomes.
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
AIHS Contact: Rebecca Turnbull
Tel: (03) 8336 1995
Email: [email protected]
About the AIHS: With a 76-year history, the Australian Institute of Health & Safety is Australia’s national association for the health and safety profession, with a vision for safe and healthy people in productive workplaces and communities.