The Australian Greens said today that the Government's proposal for a new national Occupational Health & Safety body needed to be strengthened to provide for better representation of workers and employers and increased independence.

"Robust and effective occupational health and safety laws and practices are vital for the social and economic health of our workplaces and Australians and their families," said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.

"The Greens welcome the commitment of the government and the state ministers to developing a national harmonised OHS system."

"Under the last Government we saw a systematic attack on the basic principles of OHS practice - genuine tripartitism, independence and the involvement of unions at the workplace level," said Senator Siewert.

"The Rudd government has a responsibility to rectify the errors of the past and ensure that Safe Work Australia is a return to a national, robust and independent OHS body."

"We will be moving amendments to restore the representative numbers of workers and employers, remove the additional voting rights of the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments and strengthen the independence of Safe Work Australia," she concluded.

For more information or media enquiries please call Tim Norton on 0418 401 180