Safe Work Australia’s Best Practice Review: What The Latest Recommendations Mean For Australian Workplaces

Australia’s work health and safety (WHS) framework is facing an important opportunity for reform, with Safe Work Australia publishing its Best Practice Review of the model Work Health and Safety laws on 19 October 2026. The review makes 21 recommendations aimed at strengthening worker protections, improving regulatory consistency and ensuring the national WHS framework remains fit for modern workplaces.

For employers, officers, safety professionals and workers, the report is an important signal of the direction of future WHS policy. It reinforces the importance of effective risk management while highlighting areas where Australia’s current approach could be clearer, more consistent and better equipped to address emerging risks.

Why Was The Review Undertaken?

Australia’s model WHS laws were developed to create a nationally consistent framework for workplace safety. The objective is straightforward, workers should receive strong protections regardless of where they work, while businesses operating across state and territory borders should face consistent duties and regulatory expectations.

However, differences between jurisdictions have developed over time. These variations, alongside findings from government reviews and inquiries, prompted WHS ministers to commission a Best Practice Review to identify opportunities to improve the framework while maintaining and strengthening harmonisation.

The review represents the first national review of the model WHS laws since 2018. Its findings are informed by extensive consultation undertaken between September 2025 and March 2026, including more than 1,000 submissions and survey responses and over 100 stakeholder meetings. Participants included employers, unions, regulators, workers, health and safety representatives and other members of the WHS community.

The message emerging from that consultation is significant, there is broad support for harmonisation, but stakeholders want laws that are easier to understand, applied more consistently and responsive to the realities of contemporary work.

The Key Findings: 21 Recommendations For A Stronger WHS Framework

The review sets out 21 recommendations intended to maintain and strengthen harmonisation while addressing gaps in the operation of the model laws. Several themes stand out for organisations preparing for the next phase of WHS reform.

1. Greater Consistency Across Jurisdictions

A central recommendation is to renew the national commitment to harmonisation and establish clear, transparent processes for managing future variations to the model WHS laws.

The review also recommends a new National Compliance and Enforcement Policy to promote greater consistency and clarity in how WHS requirements are enforced.

2. Stronger Prevention In High-Risk Industries

The review recommends working directly with high-risk industries and relevant unions to reduce work-related fatalities.

This reinforces the importance of identifying critical risks, implementing effective controls and ensuring that safety systems translate into practical action on the ground.

3. Better Worker Consultation and Participation

Strengthening consultation, representation and participation arrangements is another key focus.

Employers should view worker consultation as an essential part of effective risk management, rather than simply a procedural requirement. Workers and health and safety representatives can provide valuable insight into hazards, work practices and whether existing controls are effective.

4. Preparing For Emerging and Evolving Risks

The review recommends national strategies addressing three important areas, artificial intelligence, climate change and harmful workplace behaviours, including work-related violence and harassment.

These areas highlight the need for WHS systems to evolve alongside changing technology, working conditions and the broader understanding of workplace health and safety.

5. Clearer Guidance and Modernised Regulations

The review also calls for improved WHS knowledge and capability among workers and duty holders, practical industry-based Codes of Practice, and modernised model WHS Regulations.

More accessible, industry-relevant guidance could help organisations better understand their obligations and apply suitable controls to the risks they face.

What Does This Mean For Employers and WHS Professionals?

While the recommendations establish a potential direction for reform, organisations should distinguish between proposed changes to the model laws and requirements that are already legally enforceable.

The publication of the report does not, by itself, mean that all 21 recommendations have become law. The recommendations will progress through Safe Work Australia’s tripartite Member processes, with further consultation and policy development where required. Any legislative changes will depend on the relevant implementation processes in each jurisdiction.

In the meantime, there are several practical steps organisations can take to prepare.

Practical Steps To Take Now

Review Your Current WHS Compliance Arrangements

Confirm that your policies, procedures and risk controls reflect the legislation currently applicable in each jurisdiction where you operate.

Assess High-Consequence Risks

Review critical hazards, incident trends, control effectiveness and any gaps in the management of serious injury and fatality risks.

Strengthen Consultation Processes

Check that workers and health and safety representatives are meaningfully involved in identifying hazards and reviewing control measures.

Review Psychosocial and Emerging Risks

Consider workplace violence and harassment, changing work practices, AI-related impacts and climate-related hazards where relevant.

Monitor Regulatory Developments

Track updates from Safe Work Australia and your state or territory regulator and assess any confirmed changes for their impact on your business.

These steps are useful regardless of the timing of future reforms. They also help organisations demonstrate a proactive approach to identifying hazards, managing risks and reviewing the effectiveness of their WHS systems.

Why Harmonisation Matters For Australian Businesses

Regulatory consistency is particularly important for organisations with operations across multiple states and territories.

Different requirements, regulatory approaches and compliance expectations can increase administrative complexity, create uncertainty and make it harder to maintain consistent safety practices across sites. A more coherent framework could help businesses streamline internal processes while supporting consistent protections for workers.

However, harmonisation should not be viewed solely as a compliance or administrative objective. Its broader purpose is to support effective workplace safety and ensure that workers receive appropriate protections wherever they perform their duties.

For employers, the opportunity is to combine consistent organisational standards with controls tailored to the hazards, activities and operating conditions of each workplace.

Emerging Risks Deserve Greater Attention

One of the most forward-looking aspects of the review is its recognition that workplace hazards continue to evolve.

Three areas warrant particular attention.

Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation

As organisations introduce AI-enabled systems and new technologies, they should consider how changes to work design, task allocation, monitoring and decision-making may affect worker health and safety.

Climate Change and Extreme Conditions

Heat, severe weather, changing environmental conditions and emergency events can affect working conditions, particularly for outdoor workers and industries with significant physical or environmental exposures.

Harmful Workplace Behaviours

Work-related violence, harassment and other psychosocial hazards require effective prevention strategies, appropriate reporting mechanisms and management commitment.

The recommendations do not mean that every organisation faces identical risks or that a single control will suit all workplaces. Rather, they reinforce the importance of assessing risks in context and keeping WHS arrangements responsive to changing circumstances.

The Role Of Practical Guidance and Safety Culture

Legislation establishes duties, but the effectiveness of a WHS framework also depends on whether organisations can understand and implement those duties in practice.

The review’s focus on industry-based Codes of Practice and improved WHS capability recognises the value of clear, practical guidance. Different industries face different hazards, and accessible guidance can help translate general legal obligations into workable approaches to risk management.

Organisations should also continue to invest in the capabilities that support effective safety outcomes, including:

• Training workers and supervisors to recognise and report hazards
• Ensuring officers understand their due diligence responsibilities
• Providing workers with meaningful opportunities to contribute to safety decisions
• Investigating incidents and near misses to identify underlying causes
• Regularly reviewing whether risk controls remain effective

A strong safety culture is not achieved simply by updating policies. It requires leadership, consultation, accountability and a sustained focus on preventing harm.

What Happens Next?

Safe Work Australia has confirmed that the recommendations will be progressed through its tripartite Member processes, with additional consultation and policy development where needed. This means further work is required before the full implications of the review can be determined.

Businesses should therefore avoid assuming that every recommendation will be adopted in its current form or on a particular timetable. Instead, they should monitor developments and assess confirmed changes against their existing compliance obligations.

For organisations operating across multiple jurisdictions, this monitoring will be especially important. Any changes to model provisions, regulations or Codes of Practice will need to be considered alongside the legislation and guidance applicable in each location.

The review also provides an opportunity for businesses to reflect on whether their current WHS systems are genuinely effective, rather than simply compliant on paper.

Conclusion: Preparing For The Future Of WHS In Australia

Safe Work Australia’s Best Practice Review is an important milestone in the ongoing development of Australia’s WHS framework. Its 21 recommendations seek to strengthen harmonisation, improve enforcement consistency, support better worker participation, reduce work-related fatalities and prepare the framework for emerging hazards.

For employers and WHS professionals, the key takeaway is clear, now is the time to review existing safety arrangements, strengthen risk management practices and prepare for potential regulatory developments.

Although the recommendations are not automatically changes to the law, their direction highlights the continuing importance of practical, proactive and effective workplace health and safety management.

Organisations that invest in these foundations now will be better positioned to respond to future reforms while maintaining their focus on the most important outcome of all, ensuring workers return home safe and healthy.

Further reading: Read the official Best Practice Review report  and Safe Work Australia’s overview of the review and recommendations .

Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and is not legal advice. Organisations should consult the WHS legislation and regulator guidance applicable to their jurisdiction.

Get in touch with us and let us help your organisation identify hazards, manage risks and review the effectiveness of your WHS system.