In this article we explore some of the precursors and background to the recent wave of administrative and legislative change in the field of occupational health and safety in Australia. The influences of the New Left and women's movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s are seen to be crucial in creating a climate in which the issue of workers' health could be raised. It is then argued that the labor movement has been fundamentally important in determining the shape and extent of reform. Current organizational and legal developments are described and discussed in the context of Australian society.
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