Safe Work Australia Corporate Plan 2024–2028
Safe Work Australia was established under the Safe Work Australia Act 2008 (Cth) (the SWA Act) and, as a non‑corporate Commonwealth entity, operates in accordance with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth). However, where the requirements of the two Acts are inconsistent, the SWA Act prevailsi.
Our Corporate Plan covers a four-year period from 2024‑2028, and, consistent with section 27(2) of the SWA Act, deals only with the outcome to be achieved and the strategies to be followed to achieve that outcome. Notwithstanding the four-year outlook of the Corporate Plan, the intended outcome and strategies are reviewed and updated annually.
Safe Work Australia’s outcome
Consistent with our 2024–25 Portfolio Budget Statements, the outcome intended from our Corporate Plan is healthier, safer and more productive workplaces through improvements in Australian work health and safety and workers’ compensation arrangements..
Strategies to achieve our outcome
The strategies we implement to achieve our outcome are developed in consultation with Safe Work Australia Members and agreed by work health and safety (WHS) ministers.
Our strategies for 2024–2028:
- Collaborate with the wider work, health and safety and workers’ compensation ecosystem to ensure diverse perspectives inform all the work we do.
- Drive regulatory change to protect workers from exposure to harmful substances, particularly respirable crystalline silica and asbestos.
- Respond to emerging WHS issues as work and workplaces continue to evolve.
- Monitor the progress of and drive actions in the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023‑2033.
- Support the National Return to Work Strategy 2020–2030 and the actions to improve return to work outcomes for workers with a work-related injury or illness.
- Support the collection, analysis and dissemination of national WHS and workers’ compensation data that will address identified knowledge gaps with practical and actionable outcomes.
- Significantly enhance our research capability to ensure our policy advice on WHS and workers’ compensation is future focussed, and that the model WHS legislative framework remains current and can adapt to new technologies, industries, and ways of working.
The strategies we implement are designed to:
- achieve 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
- ensure robust and useful WHS and workers’ compensation research, analysis and data.
In developing these strategies, we are guided by Safe Work Australia’s functions conferred by the SWA Act.
These functions include:
- developing, evaluating and, if necessary, revising national WHS and workers’ compensation policies and strategies
- monitoring and improving the model WHS legislative framework and developing supportive WHS materials
- improving consistency in national workers’ compensation arrangements
- collecting, analysing and publishing national data
- conducting and publishing research
- developing national education and communication strategies and initiatives
- working collaboratively with the Commonwealth, states and territories, and other national and international bodies, and
- advising WHS ministers on national WHS and workers’ compensation policy matters.
In performing these functions, we also have regard to the objectives of the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2023–2033 and the National Return to Work Strategy 2020-2030. In addition, we monitor and respond to new and emerging WHS risks as they arise.
In progressing these strategies, and in collaboration with our Members and stakeholders, we will continue to build awareness to encourage safe, healthier workplaces, ensure Australia’s national WHS and workers’ compensation frameworks are world-leading and drive improvements in Australian WHS and workers’ compensation arrangements.
The Safe Work Australia 2024-25 Operational Plan provides further detail on the specific activities we will undertake in 2024-25 in support of these strategies.
i Section 27(1) of the SWA Act outlines the requirement for the CEO to prepare a Corporate Plan under s 35 of the PGPA Act. However, s 27(2) of the SWA Act says that despite that section, the draft Corporate Plan must deal only with the outcomes to be achieved by Safe Work Australia and the strategies that are to be followed by Safe Work Australia to achieve those outcomes. It follows that the only requirements that may be dealt with in the corporate plan are those outlined in s 27(2) of the SWA Act. Our performance in delivering on the strategies identified in this plan will be measured against the performance measures and planned performance results included in the 2024-25 Safe Work Australia Portfolio Budget Statements and reported in the 2024-25 Safe Work Australia Annual Report.