NT WorkSafe has appointed Ms Peggy Cheong as its new executive director after holding the role in a temporary capacity since June.

The regulatory agency said in a statement that Ms Cheong brings with her decades of extensive experience in the Territory’s legal sector, principally in areas associated with occupational workplace health and safety, workers’ compensation, and employment law.

Peggy Cheong

She has been engaged in private legal practice for almost 30 years and has lived in Darwin since 1988.

She took over the lead role at NT WorkSafe following the resignation of Bill Esteves last June.

Ms Cheong is currently president of the Council of the Law Society of the Northern Territory— a regulatory and member services organisation for the local legal profession that mainly deals with regulatory, and compliance issues, as well as conducting complaint investigations.

She was also deputy chair of the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Advisory Committee before joining NT WorkSafe.

Ms Cheong said NT WorkSafe will continue to focus on priority industry sectors and risk areas, and implement the activities outlined in the agency’s five-year strategic plan.

“With the current shortage of workers in the Territory, I’m also particularly keen on ensuring NT WorkSafe operates in full capacity and has all the resources needed to undertake these actions that are crucial in keeping all Territory workplaces safe,” she said.

Ms Cheong said she will ensure that the agency delivers its mission of achieving better work health and safety outcomes in the Territory.