Regulator Round Table Discussion

A highlight of the 2024 ADAS Accredited Training Establishment (ATE) Meeting was a WHS regulator round table session to discuss Regulations, with regulators from seven jurisdictions attending either in person or by video link.

This provided the ADAS schools a unique opportunity to connect with the regulators and discuss the challenges and opportunities in their regions.

• Regulators who attended in person: Nathan Lee (SafeWork Australia), Les Cameron (VIC), Brad Parker (TAS), Richard Taylor (NZ).
• Attended via video link: Mark Moskvitch (NSW), Vanessa Hahn (WA), Robert Shutte (QLD)

Each WHS regulator gave an introduction of their role and relevant legislation in their jurisdictions, and how that relates to occupational diving and diver training. They also provided an overview of the main areas of concern for their portfolio. The discussion was an excellent opportunity for the ADAS schools to ask questions of the regulators from their jurisdiction and discuss some of the challenges they face, including providing guidance to students who will potentially enter the workforce in locations governed by differing regulations to where they are trained.

Other topics explored included:

• The place of Codes of Practice in legislation, and the application and understanding of language used within the codes
• The applications and relevance of Rules Based Regulation and Goals Based Regulation in the sector
• Australian and New Zealand Standards relating to scientific diving
• Industrial manslaughter legislation in different jurisdictions