The Victorian State Government has called for a 12-month delay to the implementation of national occupation health and safety (OH&S) harmonisation.

 

The State Government called for the delay after accusing the Commonwealth of not providing enough time to properly assess the implications and impacts of the national laws on the state.

 

"The Victorian Government supports the principle of OHS harmonisation, however we need to be able to assess the benefits and costs to Victoria, to ensure that the proposed package is in Victoria's interests," Assistant Treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips said.

 

"As the Commonwealth has not provided that information, the Victorian Government has started work on a supplementary independent Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) to assess the impact of the proposed laws on Victoria. Victoria will not be in a position to proceed until a Victorian-specific RIS has been undertaken and evaluated. This is expected to take several months.”

 

Victoria’s call for a delay comes as Western Australia has called for similar deferrals to the scheme.