The Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia, Katie Lahey, has today jointly signed an open letter to the New South Wales Government expressing concern it might not honour the national agreement reached to harmonise occupational health and safety (OHS) laws.

The letter states the New South Wales back-tracking threatens to undermine the principles that have guided industry’s involvement in OHS harmonisation – that a new national regime be effective in improving the safety of Australia’s workplaces, that legal processes be fair and that it be consistent across the nation.

The open letter is signed by:

• Peter Anderson, Chief Executive, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Garry Brack, Chief Executive of the Australian Federation of Employers and Industries
• Wal King AO, President, Australian Constructors Association
• Katie Lahey, Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia
• Heather Ridout, Chief Executive, Australian Industry Group

On 14 October 2010 the BCA released a statement expressing its concern over the New South Wales Government decision. Read it here.

Open letter to the New South Wales Government on the National Agreement to Harmonise OHS Laws