Today, our Government pays its deepest respects to those who have died from work-related incidents or illness on the International Day of Mourning.
Each year, the day stands as an important opportunity to remember the lives lost, and the families forever changed, by workplace incidents, injury or illness.
To those who have lost a loved one: our Government and the people of New South Wales stand with you amid the ongoing pain and grief.
Nothing we say could begin to fill the void left by your loved one, but as we reflect on the grief of those left behind, we rededicate ourselves to reducing workplace-related incidents and deaths.
Every worker deserves a safe workplace. Any workplace death is a tragedy and one death too many.
In 2024, 52 people in NSW tragically lost their lives due to work-related incidents. While lower than the previous year, it remains a devastating reminder of the importance of workplace safety.
Thank you to workers and unions, employers and industry groups, SafeWork NSW and other stakeholders who join us in building better, safer workplaces.
While we remember those who didn’t come home to their loved ones, the best tribute the NSW Government can offer is a safer future for others.
The Minns Labor Government has moved to bring a new level of accountability to employers.
Our industrial manslaughter laws now place the responsibility for criminally unsafe workplaces on employers, encouraging safer workplaces and holding those responsible to account.
We have taken important steps to address the scourge of silicosis – a deadly disease contracted from exposure to silica dust – and continue looking for ways to better protect workers from it.
Transport gig workers now have the protection of our industrial regime.
In addition, SafeWork NSW will become a standalone agency from 1 July, sharpening the regulator’s focus on delivering safer workplaces for everyone in NSW.
A commemorative service will be held today, where families, workers, unions, and members of the community can gather to pay tribute.
We will never stop working to make workplaces safer, so that everyone can go to work and return home safely to their loved ones at the end of the day.
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