WorkSafe inspectors will be able to issue on-the-spot fines from 31 March to reduce fatal falls at work. Employers can be fined for failing to control fall risks, keeping safety records unavailable, or starting high-risk construction work without a Safe Work Method Statement. Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC Steve Dimopoulos said falls remain a leading cause of workplace deaths and serious injuries. WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said employers face no new obligations, but those breaking the law will face consequences sooner.
Maranoa Regional Council has won the Risk Excellence category at the Local Government Mutual Services Risk Excellence Awards. The award recognises its Making Safety Everyone's Business initiative, which gives staff the skills and support to work safely. Council used safety data to set five priority areas, including operator training, field safety checks and health and wellbeing programs. Chief Executive Officer Rob Hayward said everyone in the workplace has a role in identifying risks and taking action.
Federal and state regulators have inspected berry farms and labour hire businesses across the Coffs Harbour and Nambucca Valley regions. The two-day operation, known as Operation Brambles, targets suspected wage underpayments, unsafe conditions and unfair business practices. A 2025 report by the Fair Work Ombudsman found 61 per cent of employers assessed in the Coffs Harbour and Grafton region did not meet their obligations under the Fair Work Act. Regulators are investigating possible breaches, including illegal phoenix activity. No findings from the latest inspections have been released.
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Ten years after four people died on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld, witnesses are still recalling the scene. On October 25, 2016, a pump failure left a raft stranded and another raft collided with it. A coronial inquest later found systemic failures, and Queensland introduced tougher theme park rules. Dreamworld says it has strengthened safety, but a safety expert argues boards of directors should face greater accountability.
Victorian employers who fail to protect workers from falls at construction sites will face on-the-spot fines under new WorkSafe inspector powers from 31 March. The fines cover failing to control fall risks, starting high-risk construction work without a Safe Work Method Statement, and failing to keep required safety records. The changes do not create new safety obligations but allow faster penalties for existing laws. Prosecution remains available for serious breaches. Failing to manage fall risks carries fines of up to $418.20 for individuals and $2,091 for companies.
A remembrance gathering was held below the West Gate Bridge in Spotswood to mark the 1970 collapse that killed 35 workers. Among the dead was George Tsihilidis, a 30-year-old boilermaker and Greek immigrant. His widow, Anna, said the family had saved for eight years for their home and now had no income. Survivor George Stasoulakos said he heard a noise, thought it was an earthquake, and swam through the mud to safety. A Royal Commission later identified structural design and construction process failures, leading to new workplace safety reforms in Victoria.
A Sydney start-up is paying workers to wear AI glasses that collect data used to train humanoid robots. Electrical apprentice Jimmy Urquhart is paid an extra $3 an hour to wear the glasses on a Sydney construction site. OpenTraining.AI founder George Bancs expects the robots will first take over dangerous jobs, such as work involving gas or asbestos. Unions fear widespread job losses and want legal protections introduced before the technology becomes common. ACTU assistant secretary Joseph Mitchell said no robot can replace the creativity and empathy of a human worker.
A Defence Force member has been identified as a person of interest after a recording device was found in the women's bathroom of HMAS Leeuwin. The device was discovered on October 11 while the ship was docked in Cairns. Defence says the person is assisting the Joint Military Police Unit with its enquiries. Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Matt Buckley called the incident a despicable betrayal of trust and said a full audit of Fleet bathrooms is under way.
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union Victoria State Secretary Tony Mavromatis has paid tribute to the 35 workers killed in the West Gate Bridge collapse on 15 October 1970. He said the tragedy must keep guiding workplace safety. Among the dead was 32-year-old Greek migrant boilermaker George Tsihilidis. Mavromatis said 222 workers died at Australian workplaces in 2025, a 13-year high, and called this unacceptable. Each year, unions and families gather at the West Gate Bridge Memorial Park in Spotswood to remember the victims.
A Defence Force member has been identified as a person of interest after a recording device was found in the women's bathroom of HMAS Leeuwin. The device was discovered on October 11 while the ship was docked in Cairns. Defence says the person is assisting the Joint Military Police Unit with its enquiries. Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Matt Buckley called the incident a despicable betrayal of trust and said a full audit of Fleet bathrooms is under way.
An olive harvesting contractor has been fined $157,500 after a farmer was crushed to death by a mechanical harvester near Cowra. The NSW Industrial Court heard that Andrew John Bucknell was adjusting the machine on a property at Bumbaldry in May 2023 when a worker, seated in the cab, accidentally activated its clamping jaws. Christopher Duncan was caught between the jaws and died. Mr Bucknell pleaded guilty to a workplace safety offence. Judge David Chin said the appropriate fine was $210,000, reduced by 25 per cent for the guilty plea.
A defence force member has been identified as a person of interest after a video recording device was found in female shower facilities on HMAS Leeuwin while the vessel was docked in Cairns. Defence has referred the matter to the Joint Military Police Unit, and the person of interest is assisting with inquiries. Chief of the Navy Vice-Admiral Matt Buckley called the act a despicable betrayal of trust and said an audit of bathroom facilities across the naval fleet is under way. Senator Jacqui Lambie called for an independent body to handle the matter instead of Defence.
A Victorian crane company has been fined $2,700 without a conviction after its crane hit a powerline in Norlane, near Geelong. The company, Quinlan Cranes, pleaded guilty to one charge of putting people in danger by damaging or interfering with protected electrical infrastructure. CCTV footage from September 2025 shows the chain striking an overhead line while part of a modular home was being lifted. One worker was critically burned and three others received electric shocks. Energy Safe said workers must stay well clear of powerlines, as electricity can arc across a gap.
Gympie Regional Council's Water Team has received national recognition at the 2026 WIOA Industry Operations Conference in New South Wales. Bruce Sorensen, the council's Lead Specialist Water Industry Operations, won the 2026 PASS Award for a practical change to chlorine dosing that reduces manual handling risks and exposure to contaminated equipment. The team was named runner-up in the 2026 WIOA National Team of the Year Award. Mayor Glen Hartwig said the awards reflected the team's high standard of work.
Amazon operates more than one million robots in its warehouses, more than any other organisation. The company also employs more than 1.5 million full-time and part-time human workers. Amazon says its robots take on the most dangerous tasks, but a 2025 study found robotic fulfilment centres had fewer severe injuries and more strain-related injuries. Researchers linked this to a faster pace of work set by robots. Amazon says it has created new technician roles, while internal documents reported by The New York Times suggest the robotics push could reduce future hiring.
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Australian workplace deaths rose to 222 in 2025, the highest number since 2012, according to new Safe Work Australia figures. Vehicle collisions remained the most common cause of death. The Australian Council of Trade Unions called the toll shameful and urged governments to act on a recent best practice review. Waste company Cleanaway, where eight workers have died since 2022, said it had strengthened its safety strategy. Safe Work Australia chief executive Marie Boland said the deaths were an unacceptable human cost that must be prevented.
Mental health claims to Queensland's state-owned workers' compensation insurer, WorkCover, have more than doubled in five years. Figures from its annual report show 4,110 mental injury claims were accepted last financial year, up 108 per cent from 1,974 in 2021-2022. Unions and lawyers fear the government may tighten eligibility in response. Lawyers and unions say frontline public sector workers face rising violence, workloads and trauma. An independent review of the scheme, due in the second half of 2026, will examine the trend.
Internal documents show a new spate of stabbings, overdoses and drug use at Australian immigration detention centres, putting the federal government in likely breach of laws protecting staff and detainees. At Melbourne immigration detention centre, six detainees were hospitalised after a violent clash on 18 August involving improvised weapons. A separate regulator notice reports eight fire-related incidents at Villawood immigration detention centre between February and May. Federal work safety regulator Comcare has warned the Border Force department that it is not adequately managing these risks.
The Tasmanian Government has opened consultation on a draft Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2026. The proposed law targets aggressive and intimidating behaviour directed at workers in Tasmania. Attorney-General Guy Barnett announced the move in a statement dated 9 October 2026.
