Tasmania has become the last Australian state to pass Industrial Manslaughter laws. The legislation, introduced by the opposition will impose penalties on employers found to have been criminally negligent in relation to a workplace death. The new laws have been welcomed by unions and those with a personal connection to the cause. While others say the new legislation will have an unbalanced impact on small businesses.
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00:0020 years ago Guy Hudson lost his son Matthew. He was killed in a workplace incident when
00:08he was just 16 years old. Mr Hudson has been fighting for the introduction of industrial
00:12manslaughter laws in Tasmania ever since.
00:16In 20 years 162 people have died in Tasmania at work. Something like this comes in to protect
00:23our loved ones. It might give a little bit of reason to those lives and that people haven't
00:29died in vain.
00:32Last night that fight was won.
00:34Give some justice and meaning for those to come and there will be those that come.
00:40The bill was introduced by the Labor opposition. The government argued the law change wasn't
00:44needed and tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill.
00:48This is about preventing workplace deaths but it's also about justice to victims and
00:52their families who have for many years campaigned for these laws.
00:56We'll be able to make it clear that if you do the wrong thing and you are negligent and
01:02someone dies there will be significant consequences.
01:07Still not all are on board. The Small Business Council says the legislation places an unfair
01:13burden on the state's small businesses.
01:15To introduce a separate bill like this is a complete waste of time, energy and public
01:19funds. The answer would be to add industrial manslaughter to the existing criminal code.
01:24The legislation imposes a maximum penalty of 21 years jail time for individuals and
01:30fines of up to $18 million for bodied corporates. Advocates are confident the laws will result
01:35in a system that's more just for victims and their families.