WorkCover has claimed the Report delivered to the Government 12 months ago must remain confidential to “necessitate effective government”.
The NSW Government commissioned the Stein Report in 2006 and a year after it was received by Minister Della Bosca the report has remained in the Minister’s in-tray.
“This report has been sitting on the Minister’s desk for a year and the decision of the Government to refuse this FOI raises questions about the Government’s willingness to engage in a dialogue on improving workplace safety in NSW”, said Kevin MacDonald, CEO of NSW Business Chamber.
“The Government has used the need to “necessitate effective government” as an excuse to keep the report hidden but what about the need to have “effective” workplace safety laws?
“I think all involved in making a submission to the Stein Review would be disappointed that the Government is refusing to release the report.
The entire review of the Act has been going on for three years now and NSW needs to see the Government bite the bullet on this issue.
“The workplace safety debate is an important debate for NSW workplaces. According to the ABS we have in NSW injury rates worse than the Australian average. The Stein Report will make a contribution to the workplace safety debate in NSW and it should be in the public domain.
“Dozens of community, business groups and trade unions made submissions to the Stein Review and a year after its completion no one is any the wiser about its findings.
"The time has come to release the Stein Report, so that we can continue the debate about how we can improve workplace safety in NSW and build a more co-operative approach between government, employers, unions and WorkCover.
“The time has come for the Stein Report to be made public".
