Manufacturing

This bill restores workplace safety protections that were wound back in 2014 and re-establishes key electrical safety oversight bodies. It gives trained health and safety representatives the power to order unsafe work to stop, lets union safety inspectors enter workplaces immediately to investigate suspected breaches, and requires employers to notify the regulator when a worker is off for more than four days due to injury.

This bill sets up a mandatory licensing scheme for labour hire companies in Queensland to crack down on worker exploitation and restore confidence in the industry. Providers must be licensed, pass a fit and proper person test and report every six months, while businesses that use them must only engage licensed operators. A public register and a new inspectorate back the scheme up, with penalties of up to three years' imprisonment or $3,000+ penalty units for corporations.

This bill strengthens Queensland's building safety laws after the Melbourne Lacrosse Tower cladding fire and the Infinity cables recall. It makes every link in the building product supply chain - designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers - legally responsible for making sure products are safe and fit for purpose. It also gives the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) new powers to investigate, seize dangerous products, and share safety information with other regulators.

This bill creates Queensland's first mandatory biofuels targets, requiring larger fuel retailers to ensure 2 per cent of their regular petrol sales are ethanol or other biobased petrol, and fuel wholesalers to ensure 0.5 per cent of diesel sales are biodiesel or other renewable diesel. The mandate is designed to grow Queensland's biofuels industry, create regional jobs, and cut transport emissions while protecting consumer choice by excluding premium unleaded petrol from the target.

This bill creates the legal framework for Queensland's plastic shopping bag ban and container refund scheme, both starting 1 July 2018. It also strengthens the rules that govern when waste materials can be reused as resources.

This bill adopts the Commonwealth Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 as a law of Queensland, ensuring all manufacturers of therapeutic goods — including sole traders and partnerships — meet national safety and quality standards. It closes a regulatory gap where small manufacturers trading only within Queensland were not subject to any therapeutic goods regulation.