About the Review
WHS ministers tasked Safe Work Australia with undertaking a Best Practice Review of the model WHS laws.
The Review examined jurisdictional variations to the model WHS laws and outcomes from relevant government reviews and inquiries, to identify opportunities to improve WHS while strengthening and maintaining harmonisation.
Consultation
An extensive consultation process to inform the Review – the first national review of the model WHS laws since 2018 – ran between September 2025 and March 2026. Safe Work Australia released a public discussion paper and published 3 online surveys to gain further insights from employers, workers, and health and safety representatives (HSRs). Safe Work Australia received more than 1,000 submissions or survey responses.
Safe Work Australia also held over 100 in-person and online consultation meetings between September 2025 and March 2026 with stakeholders from across the WHS community. This included in-person meetings in every capital city and 2 regional centres, and several site visits.
In March 2026, Safe Work Australia published a consultation summary which identified key themes and issues raised during the consultation process.
Safe Work Australia provided the final report to WHS ministers for their consideration on 4 August 2026. Ministers agreed to publish the review report in October 2026.
Review findings
The Review found that harmonisation continues to be strongly supported by industry, unions, regulators and the broader WHS community. The model laws continue to support the crucial objective that all workers have the same protections and all businesses have the same obligations, regardless of where work is done.
Recommendations and next steps
- The Review makes 21 recommendations to strengthen the model WHS framework.
- The recommendations include a renewed national commitment to harmonisation, clear and transparent processes for managing future variations to the model WHS laws, and the development of a new National Compliance and Enforcement Policy to support compliance and enforcement consistency and clarity.
- The Review recommends Safe Work Australia develop national strategies to manage WHS hazards in 3 key emerging areas: artificial intelligence, climate change, and harmful workplace behaviours, including work-related violence and harassment.
- The Review has also made recommendations on modernising the model WHS framework to respond to contemporary challenges, particularly where current protections are not operating as effectively as intended. This includes:
- working directly with high risk industries and relevant unions to reduce work-related fatalities
- improving WHS knowledge and capability among workers and duty holders
- strengthening consultation, representation and participation arrangements
- developing industry-based Codes of Practice that provide easy to understand and practical guidance, and
- modernising the model WHS regulations to reflect contemporary workplaces and emerging hazards.
To learn more, read the final report.
Implementing the recommendations from the Best Practice Review
The recommendations will now be progressed through Safe Work Australia's tripartite Member processes, with further consultation and policy development undertaken where required.