MEDIA RELEASE
9 April 2026
Three of Tasmania’s peak industry bodies are calling on the State Government to pause proposed changes to workplace exposure limits (WELs) until a full cost-benefit analysis is completed and further clarity is given on how any changes would be implemented, monitored and enforced.
Safe Work Australia has recommended all states adopt the changes by 1 December 2026. The changes would drastically reduce the level of some chemicals allowed in the workplace.
Civil Contractors Federation Tasmania (CCF Tas), the Tasmanian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (TACC) and the Housing Industry Association (HIA) say that the safety of workers is their number one priority, but the changes need to be better understood before they’re implemented.
CCF Tas CEO Andrew Winch said the proposed limits would hit the civil construction sector across multiple fronts.
“Our members operate depots, workshops and plant yards where vehicles and heavy machinery run continuously. We are concerned that the proposed limits are not technically or financially achievable for many civil construction worksites within the proposed timeframe,” Mr Winch said.
“We have written to Minister Barnett and to WorkSafe Tasmania asking the Government to commission a Tasmania-specific regulatory impact assessment before proceeding. We support protecting workers, but these changes would cost millions without actually improving worker safety.”
Safe Work Australia’s own regulation impact statement found that the proposed nitrogen dioxide limit would cost employers $2.7 billion over 10 years nationally, with no quantifiable health benefit. For benzene, compliance costs of $840 million exceeded quantified benefits of $439 million. Victoria’s independent analysis of all the changes put total employer costs at $6.3 billion against benefits of $2.9 billion.
TACC’s Bruce McIntosh said the real cost to small automotive businesses would be far higher than the national modelling assumed.
“The national cost-benefit analysis estimates compliance at roughly $2,200 per affected business. Our analysis of what the required upgrades would actually cost in a typical Tasmanian workshop puts it closer to $10,000. The evidence says it won’t improve safety but for many small operators in regional Tasmania, it could be the difference between staying open and closing,” Mr McIntosh said.
“There is also a fundamental practical problem. The proposed limits are not currently measurable to the required standard in a typical workshop environment. You cannot regulate what you cannot measure. We have asked the Minister directly: how does the Government intend to implement and enforce these limits when the monitoring infrastructure does not exist in Tasmania?”
HIA’s Benjamin Price said the proposed limits put builders and tradies in an impossible position.
“Safe Work Australia’s proposed silica limits can’t be measured onsite with current technology. No country in the world has legislated at this level, so we’d be going further than anyone, with no reliable way to measure compliance.”
“These costs will land directly on housing construction at a time when Tasmania can least afford it, adding time and cost to delivering homes that families are waiting for. The case hasn’t been made, and Tasmania shouldn’t be locked into a national deadline before it has been.”Tasmania is not legally obligated to adopt the Safe Work Australia limits. While WHS ministers agreed in principle to harmonisation in 2019, the Tasmanian Parliament would need to separately amend the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2022 to give effect to the new limits.
Mr Winch said the three industry bodies were united in their position.
“This is not about avoiding safety standards. Quite the opposite. If there’s a sensible way to improve workplace health and safety we’re all for it because we all want workers to go home safe. But the Government should not be signing up to regulations that it hasn’t assessed, where the costs outweigh the benefits, and that cannot be monitored or enforced. We are calling on the Government to work with industry to get this right before committing to a deadline that does not work for Tasmanian businesses,” Mr Winch said.
ENDS