Unions are set to lose the right to launch criminal prosecutions against employers who breach workplace safety laws.
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Under new laws coming before the ACT Legislative Assembly next week, only the industry authority, WorkSafe, would be able to initiate prosecutions.
States and territories have been amending their occupational health and safety laws under a push, led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, to ''harmonise'' the way workplace safety is treated nationwide.
ACT unions are set to lose the right to launch legal action on behalf of their workers but that right has been retained in NSW. Barry O'Farrell's Government tried to remove the right of unions to launch lawsuits when it took office. The Opposition, Greens and Shooters' Party united to retain the right of unions to prosecute employers. In the ACT, only the Greens oppose the removal of this clause.
A spokeswoman for Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said the ACT Government had received $1.6million as part of these reforms, with another $7million available over the next two years as reward payments for facilitating these changes.
''In the end we believe that a harmonised law is good for business and workers so that there is one law which works right across the country,'' she said.
Greens MLA Amanda Bresnan said the ACT abandoning its workplace protections represented a ''race to the bottom''.
''The ACT has actually been held up as having some of the best OH&S laws in the country,'' she said. ''We feel very strongly that we should retain this prosecution right.''
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union ACT branch secretary Dean Hall said the CFMEU sometimes ran cases to highlight important issues.
''Considering we're an island in NSW we should have the same provisions,'' he said.
The Canberra Liberals will not support the Greens' amendments.