Safe Work Australia's Best Practice Review of Model WHS Act & Regulations

In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss Safe Work Australia's review of the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act & Regulations, and R2A’s submission response.

Key points include:

• Contradictions between the WHS legislation, regulations, and common law requirements, particularly for designers and engineers.
• Concerns around the hierarchy of controls and how they are interpreted by regulators.
• Inconsistencies in how the WHS legislation is implemented across different jurisdictions.
• Misalignment between WHS legislation and planning laws, creating challenges in integrating safety considerations early in the design process.

The discussion highlights the need for greater clarity and consistency in the legal framework governing workplace health and safety, to ensure effective implementation, especially for designers and engineers.

More information on the review is available at https://consult.swa.gov.au/best-practice-review. Submissions close 3 November 2025.

Tickets are (currently) available for our Live Forum on 21 October 2025 “Preventing Criminal Manslaughter – Understanding & Implementing SFAIRP” via https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/preventing-criminal-manslaughter-understanding-implementing-sfairp-tickets-1653602251849.

For further information on Richard and Gaye’s consulting work with R2A, head to https://www.r2a.com.au, where you’ll also find their booklets (store) and a sign-up for their quarterly newsletter to keep informed of their latest news and events.

Gaye is also founder of Australian women’s safety workwear company Apto PPE https://www.aptoppe.com.au.