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Workplace Health and Safety (LAWS70053)

Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5Online

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Overview

Availability(Quotas apply)
September - Online
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Work Health and Safety Law has grown in scope over the past decade, particularly since 2010 when most Australian governments implemented nationally-uniform laws about work health and safety. Victoria has, however, continued, with a similar but different model, and has a particularly active regulator.This subject examines in detail the content of Victorian law, as well as the new national laws.

This subject By referring to the existing state, territory and Commonwealth body of law, this subject considers the operation of work health and safety law in its historical and industrial setting, as well as the likely practical operation of the regulatory regimes. The lecturer is a practitioner with over 20 years years’ experience in work health and safety.

Principal topics include:

  • The problem of work-related injury and disease
  • The history of the legal regulation of health and safety at work
  • Nationally-uniform workplace health and safety laws
  • Standard-setting under the Australian work health and safety statutes
  • Worker representation and participation under the Australian work health and safety legislation
  • State enforcement of the work health and safety legislation
  • The application of work health and safety legislation to psychological health, bullying and sexual harassment
  • How health and safety law has adapted to new ways of working and new challenges, such as remote and hybrid work, and COVID-19
  • Workers’ compensation schemes in Australia and the rehabilitation of injured workers
  • The role and impact of the common law duty to provide work that is safe and without risks to health.

Intended learning outcomes

A student who has successfully completed this subject will:



  • Have an advanced and integrated understanding of the legal principles of Australian work health and safety law within the context of work, including recent developments in this field of law and practice
  • Be able to examine critically, analyse, interpret and assess the effectiveness of these legal rules
  • Be an engaged participant in debate regarding emerging and contemporary issues in the field, such as workplace bullying, discrimination and contractor management
  • Have a sophisticated appreciation of the factors and processes driving reform
  • Have an advanced understanding of situations in which issues of health and safety may arise in work relationships and management practices
  • Have a detailed understanding of work health and safety legal regimes in an international context
  • Have the cognitive and technical skills to generate critical and creative ideas relating to work health and safety laws and to critically evaluate existing legal theories, principles and concepts with creativity and autonomy
  • Have the cognitive and technical skills to examine independently, research and analyse existing and emerging legal issues relating to work health and safety;
  • Have the communication skills to articulate clearly and convey complex information regarding work health and safety to relevant specialist and non-specialist audiences
  • Be able demonstrate autonomy, expert judgment and responsibility as a practitioner and learner in the field of work health and safety law.

Last updated: 3 November 2022