Government delivers Safe Work Australia

The Senate recently passed, without amendments, the Safe Work Australia Bill 2008 (No. 2) to establish Safe Work Australia as an independent statutory agency, with its primary responsibility to improve OHS and workers’ compensation arrangements across Australia. This also gives effect to the Intergovernmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform in OHS, agreed by COAG on 3 July 2008.

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, welcomed the passage of the Safe Work Australia Bill through Parliament, stating: “The Act delivers on the Rudd government’s election commitment to create a new national body to lead and improve OHS and workers’ compensation arrangements in Australia.

“The creation of Safe Work Australia is an important step towards achieving harmonised OHS laws across Australia, essential to the Rudd government’s aim of a streamlined national economy to drive productivity in the future.

“The government is working cooperatively with all jurisdictions to develop uniform, equitable and effective safety standards and protections for all Australians by December 2011, 12 months earlier than originally planned.”

Safe Work Australia will operate under the Commonwealth government's accountability and governance frameworks. Under the new arrangements, the Safe Work Australia Council will be known as Safe Work Australia, with former Council members being reappointed.

Safe Work Australia will still have 15 members, including an independent Chair, nine members representing the Commonwealth and each state and territory, two members representing the interests of workers, two representing the interests of employers and the CEO of Safe Work Australia. The functions of the Council will remain the same.

It is expected that the new statutory agency will become operational in November 2009.