Safe Work Australia has released a comprehensive Best Practice Review of the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws, making 21 key recommendations to overhaul national safety standards following an agreement by state and federal WHS ministers.
The report calls for urgent, coordinated national action to prevent work-related deaths. Key immediate measures for Safe Work Australia include developing a strategic approach targeted at high-risk industries, alongside establishing streamlined systems to ensure coronial findings are shared, assessed, and acted upon consistently nationwide.
The publication comes amid mounting concern over Australian workplace safety. In 2025, 222 workers died from traumatic injuries on the job, marking the highest annual fatality count recorded since 2012.
“Every worker in Australia should have the same strong safety protections, regardless of where they live, what industry they work in, or the jurisdiction that regulates their workplace,” said Safe Work Australia CEO Marie Boland.
“The latest statistics are a stark reminder that too many Australians are still losing their lives at work from known and preventable causes. Too many workers continue to be killed by the same well-known hazards and preventable risks.”
While finding strong ongoing support for nationally harmonised laws, the review warns that effectiveness hinges on consistent application and enforcement across jurisdictions, noting that regulatory inconsistencies persist and Victoria remains outside the model framework.
Recommendations include updating governance, establishing and automatically adopting National Codes of Practice, and rewriting the National Compliance and Enforcement Policy.
The review also identifies three major emerging challenges transforming Australian workplaces and intensifying WHS risks: artificial intelligence, climate change, and harmful workplace behaviours, including occupational violence, harassment, and discrimination following the 2022 psychosocial hazard regulations.
Informed by extensive consultation with workers, bereaved families, unions, employer groups, regulators, and legal experts, the review sets a clear reform agenda to ensure Australia’s WHS framework remains fit for purpose in a rapidly changing operational environment.
“If we are serious about ensuring every worker returns home safe and healthy, the task is clear: act on the recommendations, work together nationally and continue building a system that protects workers today and into the future,” Boland said.