Safer Together has grown significantly in reach and maturity since our beginnings in 2013. While we are highly effective and valued by our members, our governance and administrative structures need to evolve to be fit for the future. On 17 July 2025 our members gave us the ‘green light’ to move ahead with our plan to form One Safer Together.
In 2024 we commissioned an independent review of our governance, administration and organisation to ensure that we are set up to deliver our Strategic Plan objectives effectively and efficiently. We asked ourselves and our stakeholders:
- ‘Is Safe Together fit-for-purpose?’
- ‘What structure will enable us to continue to meet our industry's changing needs?’
We engaged an external expert consultant to engage with internal and external stakeholders. The resulting report delivered key findings:
- Safer Together is seen by its members as meeting their needs and is recognised for its strong contribution to the safety of frontline workers in the Australian Energy Production Industry.
- Stakeholders view that the organisation is performing well.
- Safer Together is moving from a period of growth to a new stage of maturity and is transferring from a Project focus to a stewardship focus.
- As Safer Together evolves, the organisation needs robust governance combined with efficient administration, and an organisation structure to optimise delivery of our Work Plan.
The report proposed 30 recommendations for improvement. The WA/NT and Qld Boards jointly endorsed 28 of the 30 recommendations and asked the Executive Director to build and deliver a plan of action to implement these recommendations.
On 17 July 2025 our members voted at General Meetings in Qld and WA/NT to approve structural changes which will result in operating as one legal entity, with one budget and one Work Plan. We will be governed by one Board.
Our Strategic Direction and operational steer will continue to be driven on behalf of members by Executive Leaders based regionally (i.e. in Qld and WA/NT), allowing for other operating theatres in our Industry to collaborate in their regional locations – if they see value in doing so.
One Safer Together:
- Entails a single legal entity and Board for efficiency.
- Will retain the regional steer provided by the Qld and WA/NT SLGs.
- Strengthened governance by clarifying the role of the Board vs the SLG vs the Executive Director (Support Team) and appoint an Independent Director.
One Work Plan:
- An aligned Strategic Plan, delivered by a national One Work Plan.
- One national budget.
- Clarify the role of Working Groups in the context of delivery of Strategic Plan objectives.
Good Governance:
- Improved risk and financial controls.
- Strengthened processes for managing delivery of High Priority Programs and Projects.
Operational Excellence:
- Improvements to member engagement, business tools and processes, and financial management systems.
- Management platforms, including the Safer Together website and engaging with collaboration partners.
The changes are collectively designed to:
- Enhance delivery of our Strategic Plan objectives,
- Reinforce regional oversight and steer for our activities while strengthening collaboration between regions,
- Increase accountability and clarity in organisation roles.
Safer Together will become a more unified, efficient, and strategically focused organisation.
Members will experience:
- More consistent support and engagement across regions,
- Better coordination of Working Groups and initiatives,
- Simpler, clearer structures that make it easier to contribute,
- And a stronger, unified voice when leading national conversations about safety for frontline workers.
The Safer Together of tomorrow retains and enhances our spirit of sharing and collaboration, meets the current and future needs of our members, and most importantly, it enhances delivery of our commitment to preventing harm to our industry's frontline workers.
For more information on these changes, follow this link.
We are Stronger and Safer Together.