The Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA) slams the announcement by the Tasmanian Greens that they would introduce industrial manslaughter laws if elected at the upcoming state election.

Tasmanian Manager of AMMA Bill FitzGerald said that 'this is just one example of the anti-development policies contained with the Greens IR suite and other business policies which will impose onerous and unfair obligations on employers and will ultimately deter investment in the state.

'The Greens also want to make changes to workers' compensation laws which will also significantly drive up costs to business.

'The current regime of Industrial Manslaughter laws throughout Australia can best be described as a hotchpotch which means that directors, managers and supervisors can be prosecuted and sent to jail for an industrial manslaughter offence under OH&S as opposed to criminal legislation. The standard and onus of proof and penalties differ markedly between states.

'The new laws have set a dangerous precedent not only for our criminal law standards but also for the basic concept of consistency between laws.

'AMMA has taken a nationally consistent position on this issue and that is that these matters should be left solely to the criminal law and prosecutions should occur before proper criminal courts with normal rights of appeal all the way to the High Court'.

Further details contact: Bill FitzGerald 03 62310544 or 0418127020.
Friday, February 24, 2006