What is Safe Work  Australia?

SWA is an Australian government statutory body established in 2008 to develop national policy relating to WHS and workers’ compensation.

We are jointly funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments through an Intergovernmental Agreement. We perform our functions in accordance with our Corporate plan and Operational plan, which are agreed annually by Ministers for Work Health and Safety.

We are an inclusive, tripartite body—we work in partnership with governments, employers and employees—to drive national policy development on WHS and workers’ compensation matters. We work to:

  • develop and evaluate national policy and strategies
  • develop and evaluate the model WHS legislative framework
  • undertake research, and
  • collect, analyse and report data.

​As a national policy body, we do not regulate WHS laws. The Commonwealth, states and territories retain responsibility for regulating and enforcing WHS laws in their jurisdictions.

Supporting actions delivered by Safe Work Australia

NRSPP has supplied the following to the Safe Work Australia Virtual Seminar Series (VSS):

Safe Work Australia's Contributions to the NRSPP & Points of Contact