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Legislative context
Safe Work Australia was established under the Safe Work Australia Act 2008, and operates in accordance with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. Where the two Acts are inconsistent with respect to the corporate plan requirements, Safe Work Australia’s enabling legislation prevails.
Accordingly, this corporate plan covers a four-year period from 2019-2023 and deals only with the outcomes to be achieved by Safe Work Australia and the strategies for achieving those outcomes.
Our outcome
Healthier, safer and more productive workplaces through improvements to Australian work health and safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation arrangements.
Our role in achieving the outcome
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 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, including improving support for families impacted by a workplace death
- 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.
Our strategies to achieve the outcome
Over the 2019-2023 period we have seven high-level strategies that will help us achieve our outcome, they are:
1. Support the objectives of the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022 (the Australian Strategy) and the ongoing implementation of the Members’ response to its mid‑term review.
2. Develop and support a national WHS strategy beyond the current Australian Strategy term.
3. Review, evaluate and improve the model WHS laws in Australia, including implementing the agreed findings of the independent review of the model WHS laws.
4. Identify opportunities to improve workers’ compensation arrangements, including finalising the national return to work strategy.
5. 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.
6. Increase community awareness and knowledge of WHS and workers’ compensation, including promoting consistent approaches to managing WHS hazards and risks.
7. Cooperate and share information, expertise and experience with other national and international bodies.