On 17 March 2011 the Minister for Commerce announced the introduction of the Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Amendment Bill 2011 into State Parliament.

The Bill proposes a significant change in the scheme with the abolition of age based limits on workers’ compensation entitlements.

Under the reforms all workers will have the same entitlements to compensation regardless of their age. At present the scheme discriminates against older workers by limiting the entitlement of injured workers aged 64 or more to only one year of income payments.

The bill will also:

• provide a mechanism to ensure seriously injured workers have a common law remedy where their employer is uninsured;
• bring significant and much needed improvement to workers’ compensation dispute resolution arrangements; and
• address longstanding technical issues.

The improvements delivered through this bill will benefit both workers and employers whilst maintaining the long term sustainability and fairness of the State’s workers' compensation scheme.

For more information, see the Ministerial Media Statement or read the Bill on the Parliament Website.