AWU Safety Matters Update |
AWU Members Win Safer Workplaces

In a big step forward for mine and quarry safety, the Queensland Government has officially passed laws creating the offence of industrial manslaughter for the resource sector and implemented tougher penalties for employers who target workers speaking out on safety issues.

The past two years have seen eight deaths in mines and quarries across Queensland, with many more injuries and near misses.
This is simply unacceptable.
Industrial manslaughter laws will ensure that resource bosses are held to the highest level of accountability when it comes to worker safety.
Importantly, they also guarantee that any boss who targets a worker for raising a safety issue will face real consequences.
The AWU has been campaigning for these laws for years, and we were the only organization to specifically call for tougher penalties for bosses who go after workers who speak up about safety.
We’ve done this because we believe that no worker should ever have to choose between keeping their job or looking out for their workmates.
While these laws are an important first step, it’s clearer than ever that resource companies need to do more to create safer workplaces.
AWU members in the mining and quarries perform a tough, dangerous job, and making sure they’re kept safe is one of our highest priorities.
They deserve to go to work everyday knowing that they’ll be able to return home safe at the end of every shift.

There has never been a more important time to be a member of your union – join today.