Safe Work Australia is undertaking a best practice review of the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and model WHS Regulations to consider best practice approaches in the context of strengthening and maintaining harmonisation of WHS laws.
About the review
In September 2024, WHS ministers asked Safe Work Australia to undertake the best practice review to ensure the model WHS laws provide the highest level of protection for workers.
The best practice review will examine Australia’s WHS laws, assess jurisdictional deviations from the model WHS legal framework, and consider relevant reviews and inquiries to develop recommendations on:
whether the model WHS Act and model WHS Regulations incorporate a best practice approach that achieves the object of the model Work Health & Safety Act 2011 (s3), and
processes to maintain and strengthen harmonisation.
WHS ministers have now agreed to the review’s Terms of Reference, which are provided in the ‘background documents’ section.
Published submissions
Access published submissions submitted to the best practice review.
Have your say
Read the discussion paper outlining key issues.
If you would like to meet with Safe Work Australia to provide information to inform the Best Practice Review, please email bestpracticereview@swa.gov.au.
Written submissions and the online questionnaires have now closed.