Australia’s new Occupational Health and Safety Laws have officially been effective since January 2012, but many jurisdictions have asked for a delay when it comes to the implementation of these rules in their respective states.

After the amendment by the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013, the legislation now states that it is now unlawful to discriminate against people on the basis of gender identity, intersex status and sexual orientation or relationship status which include employment.

Not all states in Australia are adopting the harmonised model of WHS laws. This is still a work in progress as consistency in work health and safety laws requires a lot of work. Victoria and Western Australia have not yet adopted the model harmonised WHS laws, although best practice in business has a high regard for uniformity of Work Health and Safety laws across Australia. The Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales have started their model harmonised WHS laws last 1 January 2012. Majority of corporate organisations opted to see consistency on safety laws implemented across Australian states.

Mr. Simon Corbell, Attorney General of Victoria, made some amendments on the legislation on Canberra’s industrial court upon getting the feedback from the legal community. Corbell appeared to the Legislative Assembly to promote safety at workplace by endorsing the establishment of a legislative power of the Industrial Court.

Legislation for work safety in heritage buildings can be a daunting task. The present Occupational Health and Safety laws mandate personnel who carry out construction activities of heritage buildings to be conscious in protecting health and be conscious of safety risks from design phase throughout the life cycle of the building up to the end user.