PROTECTING WORKING TASMANIANS

Elise Archer MP, Minister for Workplace Safety and Consumer Affairs

The health and safety of all Tasmanians is a top priority for the Tasmanian Government, and the 2022-23 State Budget is strengthening Tasmania’s future and ensuring workplaces provide a safe environment for both staff and customers alike.

The Budget provides funding of $750,000 in 2022-23 to extend the additional COVID-19 WorkSafe Inspector funding allocated in 2021-22 for a further year.

This will allow WorkSafe Tasmania Inspectors to continue to support businesses across Tasmania to actively manage their COVID-19 risks in the same way they manage other work health and safety risks in their business.

Throughout the pandemic, WorkSafe Tasmania has worked with all industry sectors to assist them to respond and recover from the impact of COVID-19, and even as we transition to living with COVID-19, WorkSafe Tasmania Inspectors will continue working with businesses to assist in improving business continuity and limit the day to day impacts of COVID-19.

Additionally, while much of WorkSafe Tasmania’s activity is focused on reducing the risk of work-related injuries, sadly every year a small number of Tasmanians lose their lives at work.

The impact of these deaths on families, friends and communities is devastating and, in recognition of this, the 2022-23 Budget provides funding of $150,000 toward the development of a Workers’ Memorial Park in Elizabeth Gardens at Invermay.

In addition to raising awareness about the importance of work health and safety, the garden will provide a place for workers, employers and families to reflect and remember loved ones lost in workplace accidents, and the importance of working safely.

And, as Minister for Consumer Affairs, I remain committed to further strengthening consumer protections within our building regulatory framework by reintroducing home warranty insurance.

A consultation paper on our proposed model is available at http://www.justice.tas.gov.au/haveyoursay and I encourage everyone interested to visit the website and have their say before submissions close on Monday, 6 June 2022.

Importantly, we have acted to deliver financial assistance to those property owners impacted by building company insolvencies, with more than $2.2 million in assistance already provided to ensure home owners are not disadvantaged while the home warranty scheme is developed.

In addition, I am developing further legislation to strengthen protections for consumers under our building regulatory framework, which I expect will be out for consultation shortly.

This will include moving disputes regarding the building regulatory framework from the court process into the next phase of the newly formed Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) jurisdiction, to make it simpler, faster and cheaper to resolve them. The 2022-23 Budget includes additional funding of $1.9 million each year for TASCAT’s ongoing operations and to meet its obligations.

This demonstrates we are delivering, and we will continue to deliver on our commitments to the benefit of all Tasmanians, right across the State.