mary – your local Council will have specific requirements for new Developments, but those may not the same as those that were applicable when your building was developed, and I think you’ll find the OH&S requirements apply only to the people who collect the bins for emptying.
Obviously the bin area needs to be conveniently located and large enough to hold whatever numbers and sizes of bins your Council provides, and I’m aware of some generic requirements about the height of surrounding walls, about the area being vermin proof, about it being screened, and about there needing to be tap nearby (to hose out the area), but as Council’s current requirements would be of little or no relevance and as I suspect you’re concerned about the health of residents, perhaps you should check with NSW Health.