Today, the NSW Government marks the International Day of Mourning and pays its deepest respects to those who have died from work-related incidents or illness.
Today is an opportunity to remember those who did not return home from work and to stand with their families, friends and colleagues who continue to feel the impact of their loss.
To those who have lost a loved one: our Government and the people of New South Wales acknowledge your tragic loss, and we stand with you amid the ongoing pain and grief.
No words can begin to fill the space left by your loved one, and as we recognise the enduring impacts and loss felt by those left behind, we reaffirm our commitment to reducing workplace-related incidents and deaths.
Every workplace death is a tragedy, and one death too many.
In 2025, 60 workers in NSW tragically lost their lives due to work-related incidents - a poignant reminder of the importance of workplace safety.
Thank you to workers and unions, employers and industry groups, SafeWork NSW and everyone who joins us in building better, safer workplaces. We look forward with a shared responsibility and a united goal - a safer future for all.
The Minns Labor Government has established stronger accountability measures for employers.
Our industrial manslaughter laws now hold employers responsible for criminally unsafe workplaces, encouraging safer workplaces and holding those responsible to account.
We have taken important steps to address the scourge of silicosis and other deadly dust-related diseases through the introduction of the Lung Bus and the Silica Workers Register, banning manufactured stone, improving early detection and long-term monitoring, and we continue looking for ways to better protect workers.
Transport gig workers now have the protection of our industrial regime.
We have invested a record $127.7 million to establish SafeWork NSW as a standalone regulator and appoint 51 additional inspectors - SafeWork NSW's largest ever uplift in inspectors.
The major uplift also forms part of the $344 million of the NSW Government's Workplace Mental Health package for strengthening mental health support and injury prevention strategies.
We have also established the SafeWork Advisory Council, bringing together unions, employers, and WHS experts to ensure that diverse perspectives are considered when making decisions about creating safer workplaces.
We are also establishing the first of its kind Psychosocial Advisory Service, that will provide workers and business owners with tailored advice on managing psychosocial safety at work.
Today, we renew our commitment to continue to make workplaces safer, so that everyone who goes to work returns home safely to their loved ones.
Quotes attributable to Minister of Work Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis:
"Today we remember and honour the dedicated workers of NSW who died on the job or due to a workplace related disease.
"We express our deepest sympathies and stand with the families, friends, and colleagues who have lost a loved one. We owe it to them to better protect all workers in NSW.
"Today, we reaffirm our commitment to improving workplace health and safety, so that everyone who goes to work returns home safely to their loved ones at the end of the day.
Quotes attributable to SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer:
"This International Day of Mourning, we pause to honour and share memories of the workers who never returned home, and we express our deepest sympathies to the families and friends who continue to mourn them.
"Today is also a powerful reminder of the responsibility that every workplace has to keep workers safe.
"SafeWork NSW remains committed to ensuring that every worker is protected, and we call on all workplaces to join us by renewing their commitment to safer practices - because every person who leaves for work has the right to return home."
Quotes attributable to Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey:
"All workers have a right to come home safely. And all families have a right to expect their loved ones will return home.
"Every life shortened by workplace fatality is a trauma that ricochets through the decades for their family and friends. Today we reaffirm our commitment to create the safest possible workplace and stop the tragedy of workplace deaths."
