Edition 66, April 2009

Establishment of Safe Work Australia

At the meeting of the Workplace Relations Ministers� Council (WRMC) on 3 April 2009, Ministers noted the creation of the Safe Work Australia Council.

Ministers also noted the creation of Safe Work Australia, the independent body that will support the Council. Outcomes of the meeting are available in the WRMC Communiqu�.

Safe Work Australia will be established as an Executive Agency prescribed under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. An Intergovernmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational reform in Occupational Health and Safety (IGA) formalises cooperation between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments on the harmonisation of occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation and establishes appropriate governance arrangements to support this cooperation.

Through a partnership of governments, employers and employees, the Safe Work Australia Council drives national policy development on OHS and workers� compensation matters and specifically to:

  • achieve significant and continual reductions in the incidence of death, injury and disease in the workplace
  • achieve national uniformity of the OHS legislative framework complemented by a nationally consistent approach to compliance policy and enforcement policy
  • improve national workers� compensation arrangements.

The Safe Work Australia Council comprises an independent Chair and representatives from the Commonwealth, each State and Territory, employers and unions.

For more information on Safe Work Australia and the key functions of the Safe Work Australia Council visit www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/swa/AboutUs/AboutSafeWorkAustralia

This page was generated on 26 August, 2009