NSW Launches Inaugural SafeWork Advisory Council to Drive WHS Reform

The NSW Government has officially appointed the first SafeWork Advisory Council, marking a significant milestone in the Minns Labor Government’s reforms to establish SafeWork NSW as an independent, standalone work health and safety regulator.

Formed under amendments to the Work Health and Safety Amendment (Standalone Regulator) Act 2025, the Advisory Council is designed to reinforce SafeWork NSW’s governance arrangements and ensure the regulator has access to broad, strategic advice on current and emerging WHS risks, regulatory priorities and systemic issues in NSW workplaces.

Emeritus Professor Michael Quinlan, a recognised work health and safety expert with more than four decades of experience, has been appointed as Chair of the Council. Under his leadership, the Council will provide high-level guidance that can inform WHS management systems, Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) and practical policies that promote safer work practices across all industries.

The tripartite Council brings together representatives of workers, employers, unions, industry safety specialists and individuals with lived experience of workplace fatalities. This includes members such as Debra Pascall, who lost her son in a preventable workplace incident in 2018 and has since become a strong advocate for improved workplace safety and more effective WHS policies and procedures.

The Advisory Council’s role is to offer strategic advice to both SafeWork NSW and the NSW Government, supporting the regulator’s efforts to reduce workplace fatalities, serious injuries and occupational illness. Under the legislation, the SafeWork Commissioner must take the Council’s advice into account when setting the regulator’s strategic direction, regulatory focus and compliance priorities.

In 2025, 60 workers lost their lives in NSW workplaces, with the highest number of fatalities occurring in the construction, transport and warehousing, and agriculture sectors. The establishment of the Advisory Council is intended to drive more targeted prevention strategies and encourage stronger implementation of WHS management systems and risk controls in these high-risk industries. Duty holders seeking to strengthen their WHS frameworks can also access structured management system resources via providers such as Bluesafe.

The commencement of the SafeWork NSW Advisory Council formally concludes the work of the SafeWork NSW Interim Tripartite Reference Group, which operated during the transition to the standalone regulator model. The Interim Group ensured that employers, unions, workers and government all contributed to the development of SafeWork NSW’s reform agenda and early regulatory initiatives, and helped identify practical measures to improve WHS outcomes while permanent consultation and governance structures were being finalised.

Further information about the membership and functions of the Advisory Council is available via the SafeWork NSW website. In line with statutory reporting obligations, SafeWork NSW will publish summaries of actions taken in response to the Council’s advice, supporting transparency and accountability in WHS decision-making.

Minister for Industrial Relations and Work Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis, described the establishment of the Advisory Council as an important step in strengthening workplace safety across the state. She emphasised that the decision to create SafeWork NSW as a standalone regulator was driven by a commitment to accountability, transparency and a sharper focus on keeping workers safe.

The Minister noted that the Council’s tripartite structure is designed to ensure real-world insight informs key regulatory decisions. By bringing together workers, employers, unions, business groups, industry specialists and people with lived experience, the Council will help identify emerging risks and shape practical regulatory approaches that can be implemented at the workplace level through robust SWMS, WHS management plans and internal safety policies.

SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer highlighted that the Council’s primary objective is to ensure that the perspectives of workers and their representatives, industry stakeholders, subject matter experts and those directly affected by workplace harm are systematically considered when determining SafeWork NSW’s strategic direction and regulatory priorities. She stressed that this partnership approach is central to achieving safer and healthier workplaces across NSW.

Advisory Council Chair, Emeritus Professor Michael Quinlan, said it was an honour to lead a body dedicated to improving safety outcomes for workers and their families. He noted that the tripartite model reflects best practice by enabling industry, unions and government to work collaboratively, combining technical expertise with lived experience to identify issues that require greater regulatory and policy attention.

Transport Workers’ Union Assistant Secretary, Marija Marsic, underscored the importance of union representation on the Council, pointing out that lived experiences from the frontline inform how policy and regulatory changes can meaningfully improve conditions for workers.

Business NSW Senior Project Manager, Liz Greenwood, stressed the value of having a wide range of voices at the table and the need for robust, evidence-based discussion before decisions are made that affect the safety of workers and the obligations of businesses.

Lived Experience Member, Debra Pascall, said she was honoured to be appointed to the Council. She emphasised that for her, safety is deeply personal and that lived experience keeps the human consequences of workplace harm at the centre of regulatory decision-making. She reinforced that every policy, procedure and regulation must ultimately be about ensuring every worker returns home safely, and she hopes her contribution will help prevent other families from experiencing similar loss.