The Federal Government’s 2026-27 budget delivered on 12 May included an important new funding initiative that will make a substantial difference to businesses large and small across the country.
Funding of $42.7 million over the next four financial years has been allocated for grants to Standards Australia to provide “free public read-only access to Standards referenced in Commonwealth and state and territory legislation”. Until this development, standards required by law to be complied with had to be purchased, at significant cost to small businesses in particular.
This change means that organisations who have struggled to stay abreast of requirements as detailed in key WHS-related standards will be able to access the current standards at no cost.
The new arrangement will cover all mandatory Australian Standards that pertain to WHS matters, the construction industry, and product safety.
QRMC applauds this initiative as one that will benefit many organisations and support the ability of management to achieve compliance in WHS matters. We look forward to the detailed list of affected standards being made available in the near future.
