Safety Ambassador Geoff Fary
Background information
Geoff Fary brings an unusual combination of background and experiences to his Assistant Secretary role at the ACTU. Elected in 2007, he has previously worked as a farm labourer, sheep shearer, administrator, Victorian Director of TUTA, Chief of Staff to a federal Cabinet Minister, Human Resources Director, Company Director, CEO of Industrial Relations Victoria and, for the previous four years, at the most senior national industrial role at APESMA.
Geoff was born and raised in the 1950s and 60s in a rural community in northern Victoria. His education and early work were typical of the time and the place. Most of his working life has been devoted to Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations. His career moves have given him the unusual perspective of union, corporate and government experiences that he brings to the challenges faced by the ACTU.
Married with two teenage children, Geoff and his family live at Portarlington, a small seaside township near Melbourne. His interests include being a home handyman, current affairs - and a passionate involvement in Australian Rules football (Essendon).
Why workplace safety is important to me
The official figures concerning workplace deaths and injuries in Australia represent the tip of the iceberg. In a study commissioned by the Australian Safety and Compensation Commission (forerunner of the Safe Work Australia Council) the respected forecaster Access Economics suggested that the true death toll as a result of workplace activities – including exposure to carcinogens etc- could be as high as 8,000 per annum, with hundreds of thousands more injured or debilitated each year.
For more than 150 years unions have been asserting and protecting the right of Australians to have safe and healthy workplaces – and it remains our core business.
My plans for national Safe Work Australia Week
To use every opportunity to advocate for the highest possible standards of Occupational Health and Safety rights and entitlements for all Australians – regardless of the state or territory in which they reside.
Why I accepted the role as a national Safe Work Australia Week Safety Ambassador
This is a critical time for the future of workplace safety in Australia. The OHS laws harmonisation process entered into by the federal government and all state and territory jurisdictions can be used as an opportunity to achieve the highest possible standards to address the ongoing and unacceptable tragedy of workplace death and injury – or it can result in a levelling down of standards to the lowest common dominator. Australian unions are absolutely committed to a genuinely tripartite approach for the achievement of the former – and I intend to use my role as a Safety Ambassador to that end.
Page last updated: 18/10/2009