The NSW Government's decision to announce a review of SafeWork is designed to buy political cover from its appalling record on workplace safety and support for sick and injured workers.
Since 2011, the NSW Liberals have presided over rolling scandals and crises. A fortnight ago, the auditor-general launched an investigation into SafeWork, after it emerged that a number of fatalities and serious injuries were not adequately followed up due to internal and external pressure.
SafeWork, SIRA and iCare were established in 2015 after the Liberals split WorkCover in three. iCare - the state insurer - has also suffered a slew of scandals. It was exposed last year for wasting money on consultants that could have gone to sick and injured workers, spending $4.8m on contracts and allocating more than $11.5m for consultancy work in the 2020-2021 financial year, even after being warned it was too dependent on consultants.
And in 2020 it awarded $1.2 million payout to three executives in the midst of scandal. Its then-chief executive, John Nagle, resigned after it was revealed he had not properly declared his wife's six-figure contract with the insurer. It was also revealed that two iCare-paid employees were seconded as ministerial staffers to work in the office of then-treasurer, Dominic Perrottet.
Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey said the Liberals were too conflicted by business and political interests to fix workplace health and safety.
"The fish rots from the head. The Premier and his ministers have had 10 years to improve workplace health and safety, but unfortunately they don't fundamentally see it as a priority. This is a cynical announcement made to muddy the waters before the 2023 State election in relation to the failures of the Perrottet Government's failures, as highlighted by the NSW Auditor-General's recent announcement to undertake a performance review of Safe Work in 2023.
"For years SafeWork inspections have been too rare and without proper enforcement powers. Serious injuries and fatalities have not been investigated because pressure has been brought to bear on inspectors.
"At the same time, sick and injured workers have been ripped off, bullied and harassed. The Liberal record on workplace safety and sick and injured workers is toxic.
"Reviews and investigations are pointless if the recommendations continue not to be implemented and the Perrottet Government refuses to resource enforcement and prosecutions."
Mark Morey 0425 231 812
