After a union campaign, the NSW Government has toughened laws on industrial manslaughter.  

Employers found responsible for the death of workers in NSW now face up to 25 years in prison. Maximum fines for industrial manslaughter have been increased.

The new laws, introduced to State Parliament in June 2024, come after a decades-long campaign by unions, including the PSA CPSU NSW.

The day before the law was passed, the PSA CPSU NSW joined other unions on a chilly morning outside State Parliament to mark the long delay in getting these laws implemented. Speakers included family members of workers killed on site.

There were also politicians at the event lending their support to the new laws and to mark the success of the campaign, including representatives from Labor and the Greens and crossbencher Jeremy Buckingham.

“The success of this campaign proves what can happen when unions work together,” said PSA CPSU NSW General Secretary Stewart Little. “Nothing can bring back a worker killed on a worksite.”