New South Wales has rolled out workplace health and safety regulations establishing fresh obligations, with businesses and individuals facing fines reaching $45,000 for breaches.
The Work Health and Safety Amendment Regulation 2025 modifies the State Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025, arriving mere weeks following the commencement of the WHS Regulation itself, which replaced its 2017 predecessor with limited updates (see related article).
Under the amended rules, a person conducting a business or undertaking that “commissions licensed demolition work to be carried out at a workplace must ensure the licensed demolition work is carried out by, or for, a person who has a demolition licence”.
Violations attract maximum penalties of 73 units for individuals and 364 units for corporate entities, translating to $9,002 and $44,885 respectively during the 2025-26 fiscal period.
This requirement corresponds with the obligation under section 43(2)(a) of the NSW Work Health and Safety Act 2011, which prohibits directing or permitting workers to perform tasks at a workplace unless they are “authorised” according to the WHS Regulation.
The provision also enhances the demolition work licensing system established under the State WHS Act in late 2022 (see related article).
(Before this period, and following the WHS Act’s commencement in January 2012, NSW’s demolition licensing fell under the old Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 via transitional arrangements.)
The Amendment Regulation additionally criminalizes non-compliance with the current obligation under clause 184N of the Regulation, which requires food delivery booking providers to verify their delivery riders have finished food delivery induction training.
Mirroring the new demolition provision, violations carry penalties reaching 364 units for corporate bodies and 73 units for individuals.
A further modification refreshes references to an Australian Standard governing colours in industrial settings, relevant to the colour schemes and designs mandated for signage or labels on specific categories of unstable explosives, organic peroxides and self-reactive materials.
The State Government has additionally enacted the Industrial Relations (General) Amendment (Stop Bullying Order) Regulation 2025, which sets the application fee for seeking orders from the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to halt workplace bullying.
The $97 charge slightly exceeds the $89.70 currently imposed by the Fair Work Commission for similar applications.
NSW’s recently established anti-bullying framework – designed to safeguard the State’s public sector and local government employees – emerged from a WHS and industrial relations Amendment Bill enacted by Parliament in June (see related article).
