Product Overview

Summary: This Policy Review and Update Standard Operating Procedure provides a clear, repeatable framework for keeping your organisation’s policies current, compliant and aligned with Australian legislation and business objectives. It sets out who does what, when, and how, so you can manage policy changes in a controlled, auditable and low‑risk way.

In Australian organisations, policies underpin how work is done, how risks are managed and how legal obligations are met. Yet many businesses struggle with outdated, inconsistent or missing policies, leaving them exposed during audits, incidents or disputes. This Policy Review and Update Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides a structured, end‑to‑end method for planning, conducting and documenting policy reviews so your documentation keeps pace with legislative change, organisational growth and evolving operational practices.

The SOP defines clear triggers for review (such as changes to WHS laws, Fair Work requirements, Australian Standards, or internal incidents), allocates responsibilities, and sets out a documented workflow for drafting, consulting, approving and communicating policy updates. It also embeds version control, document security and record‑keeping requirements, supporting robust governance and demonstrating due diligence to regulators, insurers and external auditors. Whether you are updating a single WHS policy or managing a complete policy suite, this SOP helps you build a disciplined, transparent and defensible approach to policy management across your business.

Key Benefits

• Ensure policies remain current with Australian legislation, standards and regulator guidance.
• Streamline the end‑to‑end process for reviewing, updating and approving organisational policies.
• Reduce compliance and governance risks arising from outdated, inconsistent or missing policy documents.
• Improve accountability by clearly defining roles, responsibilities and approval pathways.
• Strengthen audit readiness with documented review cycles, version control and change history.

Who is this for?

• Business Owners
• Directors and Company Officers
• General Managers
• Governance and Risk Managers
• HR Managers
• WHS Managers
• Compliance Officers
• Quality Managers
• Policy and Procedure Writers
• Office Managers

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Key Terms
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities
• 4.0 Policy Register and Document Classification
• 5.0 Triggers for Policy Review (Legislative, Operational and Strategic)
• 6.0 Planned Review Cycles and Scheduling
• 7.0 Policy Review Preparation and Information Gathering
• 8.0 Consultation, Stakeholder Engagement and Subject Matter Input
• 9.0 Drafting, Editing and Impact Assessment of Policy Changes
• 10.0 Legal, WHS and Compliance Checks
• 11.0 Approval Workflow and Governance Sign‑off
• 12.0 Version Control, Document Numbering and Archiving
• 13.0 Communication, Training and Implementation of Updated Policies
• 14.0 Monitoring, Feedback and Continuous Improvement of Policies
• 15.0 Records Management and Audit Trail Requirements
• 16.0 Related Documents, Forms and Registers
• 17.0 Review of this SOP

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and harmonised state and territory WHS Acts
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 and equivalent state and territory regulations
• Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)
• AS ISO 37301:2023 Compliance management systems – Requirements with guidance for use
• AS/NZS ISO 9001:2016 Quality management systems – Requirements
• AS ISO 31000:2018 Risk management – Guidelines
• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) governance and director duties guidance (where applicable)