Aboriginal Corporation faces WHS charges over rollover incidents

NT WorkSafe has charged a Central Australian Aboriginal Corporation in relation to two rollover incidents that injured two workers and killed a third.

The corporation, located in a remote community north-east of Alice Springs, required its workers as part of their work to travel along an unsealed road in a utility type vehicle.

NT WorkSafe alleges that despite the corporation having information on the hazards of driving on unsealed roads and the significantly higher rollover rate utility vehicles had compared to other types of vehicles, the corporation did not develop safe systems of work and did not provide its workers with adequate information or training on four-wheel driving.

These failures culminated in two single-vehicle rollovers on 16 April 2021 where one worker was seriously injured, and again on 17 June 2023 where one worker was fatally injured and another seriously injured. In both incidents, safe systems of work were not developed or implemented, and workers were not provided with appropriate four-wheel drive training.

The corporation faces the following four charges under the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011 (the Act):

• One Category 2 charge for failing the primary duty of care under section 19(1) of the Act
• One Category 2 charge for failing the primary duty of care under section 19(3)(a)(c) and (f) of the Act
  • One alternative category 3 charge failing the primary duty of care under section 19(3)(a)(c) and (f) of the Act, and
• One Category 2 charge for failing the duty involving management and control of plant at a workplace under section 21(2) of the Act

If found guilty of all charges, the aboriginal corporation faces a combined maximum penalty of $4.5 million dollars.

The matter is listed for mention at the Alice Springs Local Court on 10 June 2026.