Legislation has been introduced into the Federal Parliament to establish a new national independent body to lead and improve OH&S and workers’ compensation in Australia, to be know as ‘Safe Work Australia’.

It is intended that Safe Work Australia will standardise and improve OH&S outcomes and workers’ compensation arrangements.

Safe Work Australia will be an independent statutory authority with an independent chair and will comprise representatives of the Commonwealth, each state and territory, employers and unions.

One of Safe Work Australia’s key functions will be to develop model OH&S legislation for adoption by all jurisdictions, delivering on the Australian Government’s commitment to working cooperatively with states and territories to harmonise OH&S laws.

The announcement of the new body follows the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), historic signing of an Intergovernmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform in Occupational Health and Safety, on 3 July 2008