Parliament has opened a fresh public participation period on the Mine Health and Safety Amendment Bill (the Bill). The period for submitting written comments and requesting an opportunity to make oral submissions closes on 22 August 2026.
The Mine Health and Safety Amendment Bill has had a lengthy legislative journey spanning several years. The draft Bill was first published for public comment on 14 June 2022, with written submissions closing on 29 July 2022.
The Bill has now been formally introduced in Parliament as the
Mine Health and Safety Amendment Bill [B10-2026]. On 26 May 2026, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources (the Committee) received a briefing on the Bill, during which it resolved to proceed with a public participation process and approved the publication of notices inviting written comments and requests to make oral submissions.
Of particular interest to employers are the proposed increases to the maximum fines that may be imposed, the enhanced responsibilities of executives and amendments relating to training obligations and the development of training programmes, among other significant changes.
An invitation calling on interested individuals and stakeholders to submit written comments and indicate whether they wish to make oral submissions was published today. The invitation may be accessed
here.
The invitation requires submissions to be lodged by 16h00 on 22 August 2026. Notably, this date falls on a Saturday.
This is an important development because it provides interested parties with further opportunity to comment on the Bill, this time through Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources. This parliamentary public participation process is separate from the departmental consultation undertaken in 2022 and provides a fresh opportunity to engage with the legislature before the Bill is enacted.
We strongly encourage mining companies, industry associations, employers, contractors, employees and all other affected stakeholders to consider making a submission.
Should you require assistance in preparing a written comments, developing an oral presentation or assessing the potential impact of the proposed amendments on your operations or sector, please do not hesitate to contact us.
