Bill for modern Act tabled in Parliament

On Wednesday 22 February 2023, the Hon. Bill Johnston MLA, Minister for Industrial Relations tabled the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Bill 2023 in Parliament, to modernise Western Australia’s workers compensation laws.

The Bill modernises the Act in a way which provides clarity and certainty for stakeholders within the workers compensation system. The Bill preserves the fundamental aspects of the scheme and implements some important improvements, including:

• doubling the medical and health expenses cap and extending the point at which workers weekly compensation payments step down from 13 to 26 weeks. This will see injured workers receive an appropriate level of financial support for medical expenses and loss of income
• covering workers catastrophically injured in workplace accidents under the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme on the same footing as any person catastrophically injured as a result of a motor vehicle accident
• implementing the balance of WorkCover WA’s 2014 legislative review report recommendations building on priority amendments implemented in 2018 and 2020.

This Bill is the culmination of extensive consultation by WorkCover WA with key stakeholder groups and the Western Australian public. Submissions received during the consultation phase indicated strong support for the Bill, and careful consideration was given to several technical and policy related changes.

In his media statement the Minister thanked stakeholders and the Western Australian public for contributing to the legislative review, making submissions and ensuring the Bill serves the community well for decades to come.

WorkCover WA CEO, Chris White said, “Western Australia has a stable and effective workers compensation scheme today. The Bill builds on this solid foundation by modernising our workers compensation laws so that all elements of the scheme are clear to everyone.”

WorkCover WA has commenced work on proposed regulations and other supporting arrangements required for implementation.

Further information about how the key changes impact stakeholders and the consultation process for proposed regulations will be provided later in the legislative process. Information sheets and other supporting documents can be found on our website.

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You can follow the progress of the Bill through Parliament and learn more about the Parliamentary process on the Parliament of Western Australia’s website.