Cairns Workers Speak Out: Hands Off Our Safety Campaign

MEDIA ALERT

6 May 2026

WHAT:

• Queensland Council of Unions General Secretary Jacqueline King will be available for media in Cairns, responding to proposed rollbacks of workplace health and safety laws and a looming review of the workers' compensation scheme.

• The Hands Off Our Safety campaign unites unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers across Queensland, including key Far North industries like tourism, healthcare, retail, the public sector and construction.

  
  

WHO:

• Jacqueline King, General Secretary, Queensland Council of Unions

  
  

WHEN:

• 10:00am, Friday 8 May 2026

  
  

WHERE:

• Cairns Esplanade, CNR Kerwin Street & Abbot Street

  
  

DETAILS:

The LNP Government has flagged sweeping changes to Queensland's work health and safety laws, alongside a review of the state's workers' compensation scheme that unions warn could lead to cuts to protections and support for injured workers.

Queensland Unions say the proposals would:

• Wind back workers' rights to stop unsafe work

• Weaken enforceable Codes of Practice that prevent injuries and deaths

• Remove or dilute Queensland-specific safety standards

• Cut access to fair compensation, particularly for workers suffering psychological injuries

Union leaders warn these changes would shift the system away from prevention and onto workers paying the price after harm is done.

Queensland's safety framework was strengthened following major workplace tragedies like Dreamworld in 2016, ensuring regulators can act before lives are lost. These proposed changes risk undoing those hard-won protections.

The impacts would be felt across Far North Queensland, from hospitals and classrooms to construction sites, tourism workplaces and regional communities.

Queensland Unions are calling on the Crisafulli Government to abandon any plan to weaken safety laws or cut workers' compensation.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY:

• Interviews available on site