Independent review of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland announced

• The Miles Government has commissioned an independent review of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
• Starting today, the review will ensure the state’s regulator meets contemporary standards and community expectations around work health and safety.
• The review will be led by former Managing Director of Hutchinson Builders, Greg Quinn.

High profile business leader Greg Quinn will lead an independent review of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ), starting today.

Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said Mr Quinn brings vast experience to the role and is known for his hard work, fairness and integrity.

Mr Quinn led Hutchinson Builders for 21 years, driving the company to become Australia’s largest privately owned builder before he retired in 2022.

The review will support proposed amendments to Queensland’s work health and safety laws introduced to Parliament late last year.

It will ensure WHSQ’s activities are contemporary and reflective of stakeholder and community expectations.

The review will consider:

• the WHSQ inspectorate, including resourcing, training, accountability, decision-making consistency, and enforcement and compliance capacity
• policies and procedures to ensure the inspectorate is supported and meets stakeholder and community expectations of transparency, accountability, timeliness and consistency
• the interaction between WHSQ’s policy teams and the inspectorate to ensure policy is implemented in practice
• ensuring regular and robust proactive external engagement occurs with stakeholders and the community
• transparency and accountability of data and decision-making.

Mr Quinn will consult with industry stakeholders, including the Work Health and Safety Board and Committees, the Affected Persons Committee, registered unions and registered employer organisations, and WHSQ staff.

A report on the review’s findings is anticipated to be delivered to Minister Grace by mid-year.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Industrial Relations Grace Grace:

“To protect workers and keep them safe on the job, we need to ensure our work health and safety laws remain contemporary and that we have an effective and responsive health and safety Regulator.

“I am proud of the Miles Government’s record on worker safety and it is timely that an independent review is conducted of Work Health and Safety Queensland to complement the legislative changes we have before Parliament.

“Greg Quinn is well-placed to lead this review and has a long history of working effectively with industry and unions.

“As a former Chair of the Work Health and Safety Board he has demonstrated a strong commitment to work health and safety.

“I look forward to receiving Mr Quinn’s review later this year and responding to his recommendations.”

ENDS

Media contact – Daniel Webb – 0438 401 078