Kevin Jones explores the political tensions and evolving landscape of workplace health and safety in Australia, tracing the journey from the heated OHS harmonisation debates of 2010—when NSW Premier Kristina Keneally clashed with the federal government—through to today’s renewed focus on psychosocial hazards, union rights, and regulatory reform.

This Safe Work Month episode discusses pivotal moments in state and federal cooperation, the myth versus reality of harmonised safety laws, the rise of mental health as a workplace priority, the expanding power of unions, and NSW’s ongoing push for regulatory autonomy, all while asking tough questions about the future of worker protection, national consistency, and the values that underpin our safety systems.

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