Janet Schorer appointed first SafeWork NSW Commissioner

Ms Schorer’s appointment follows an extensive recruitment process and comes as SafeWork NSW becomes a standalone regulator on July 1. Her responsibilities will cover policy, compliance, best practices and engagement with workers, unions, businesses and the Family and Injured Workers Support and Advisory Group (FISWAG). The regulator has more than 750 staff and works with businesses, workers and the NSW community to prevent workplace fatalities and serious injuries.

Ms Schorer has more than 27 years of experience across public sector agencies, including the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Department of Family and Community Services. She began her career as a registered nurse and most recently served as Chief Delivery Officer at TAFE NSW, working on learner experiences under its Strategic Plan 2022–25. She received a Public Service Medal in 2019 and is a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and Vice President of its NSW branch.

A key focus of the Commissioner’s role will be preventing and managing silica and other dust-related diseases linked to NSW tunnelling projects. The government has established an Expert Taskforce to oversee and help address silica-related health risks for tunnelling workers.

The government also led the ban on engineered stone imports that began on January 1, 2025. The national ban applies to engineered stone benchtops, slabs and panels containing more than one per cent silica.

The appointment follows a $127.7 million investment announced in the NSW Government’s 2025–26 Budget to strengthen the regulator over four years. The funding will address psychosocial hazards and compliance and enforcement of safe work practices. It forms part of a broader $344 million Workplace Mental Health package supporting workplace mental health and injury prevention.

Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said the standalone regulator and Commissioner appointment reflected the government’s commitment to preventing workplace deaths, injuries and illnesses. She said the new structure would support a strong, fit-for-purpose regulator capable of securing safer and healthier workplaces. The Minister congratulated Ms Schorer and thanked Dr Petrina Casey for her work as Acting SafeWork NSW Commissioner.

Ms Schorer said she was honoured to join SafeWork NSW as it began reshaping the agency. She identified community engagement as central to decision-making and said she looked forward to working with workers, employer organisation representatives, unions, support groups and people with lived experiences.

Ms Schorer said every NSW worker’s safety and wellbeing was of utmost importance. Drawing on a career focused on reform to improve lives, particularly for vulnerable groups, she said she looked forward to continuing the regulator’s work to strengthen its systems and practices.

How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your business’s approach to workplace health and safety and identify areas that may need attention. Take the free WHS self-check