Victoria’s Crimes (Workplace Deaths & Serious Injuries) Bill is meeting tough resistance from the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Neil Coulson, CEO of the powerful business organisation, has launched a discussion paper asking if legislators have given up on workplace accident prevention. He said VECCI applauds the combined efforts of employees, employers and WorkCover to raise the bar for workplace safety, but the new Bill is nevertheless “insulting to business and without foundation”.

“The Government needs to remain focused on rebuilding and maintaining a positive environment for business,” Mr Coulson said. 

So who’s out of step? The Victorian Government has given no sign of backing away from the new legislation, which provides for massive fines and criminal penalties for managers who deliberately ignore unsafe practices that lead to fatalities, and it seems that they are not alone. The British Government is also ignoring lobbying from employer groups and going ahead with a similar law to Victoria’s – dubbed by London’s tabloid press as “the corporate killing legislation”.

Labour and Conservative backbenchers are supporting the introduction of strict controls and criminal sanctions for dangerous employers.