Qld workplace safety laws to be audited

Queensland's workplace health and safety laws will undergo an audit in the wake of this week's Dreamworld tragedy.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the audit during an address to party faithful at the ALP state conference on the Gold Coast.

The audit will look at introducing a new offence of gross negligence causing death as well as increasing existing penalties for workplace-related deaths and injuries.

Ms Palaszczuk said the audit was needed in response to Tuesday's death of four tourists at the Gold Coast theme park as well as the recent death of two workers at an Eagle Farm worksite.

"It is simply not enough for us to be compliant with our current laws, we need to be sure our laws keep pace with international research and new technologies," Ms Palaszczuk told conference delegates.

"The audit will also consider whether existing penalties are sufficient to act as deterrents and whether these should be strengthened to contain provisions relating to gross negligence causing death."

Currently the maximum penalty under the workplace health and safety laws in Queensland is five years imprisonment with monetary penalties of up to $3 million for corporations, $600,000 for individual officers and $300,000 for other persons.