Outcome

Healthier, safer and more productive workplaces through improvements to Australian work health and safety and workers’ compensation arrangements.

Role of Safe Work Australia

Safe Work Australia was established as an inclusive tripartite forum representing the interests of the Commonwealth, states and territories, as well as workers and employers in Australia to:

• collaborate on national work health and safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation matters
• lead the development of evidence-based policies and supporting strategies, and
• promote consistency in WHS and workers’ compensation arrangements.

Together, we work collaboratively to:

• achieve significant reductions in the incidence of work-related death, injury and illness
• improve outcomes for injured workers and their employers
• use our collective influence to increase knowledge and awareness of WHS and workers’ compensation, and
• be a key source of WHS and workers’ compensation research, evaluation and data.

Strategies to achieve the outcome

1. Support the implementation of the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012–2022 (Australian Strategy).
2. Increase community awareness and knowledge of WHS and workers’ compensation, including promoting consistent approaches to managing WHS hazards and risks.
3. Support the development of evidence-based policy, programs and practice through the collection, analysis and dissemination of national WHS and workers’ compensation data and research.
4. Review, evaluate and improve the model WHS laws in Australia.
5. Identify opportunities to improve workers’ compensation arrangements.
6. Cooperate and share information, expertise and experience with other national and international bodies.

Safe Work Australia operates under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. Safe Work Australia was established under the Safe Work Australia Act 2008 (Cth), which requires a corporate plan to be developed each year, covering a four-year period. This corporate plan must deal only with the outcomes to be achieved by Safe Work Australia and the strategies for achieving those outcomes.