Workers’ Compensation COVID-19 Response Bill passes Parliament

A Bill to enable a presumption of work-related injury for health care workers who contract COVID-19 and claim workers’ compensation has been passed by the WA Parliament. The Bill also addresses a number of COVID-19 related barriers which impact on the WA workers’ compensation scheme.

When proclaimed the Bill will:

• enable regulations to be made which provide for a rebuttable presumption that COVID-19, contracted by health care workers, is work-related
• remove the common law termination day
• make changes to the way in which some entitlements are indexed
• enable electronic notifications

The Minister for Industrial Relations has issued a media release on the Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Amendment (COVID-19 Response) Bill 2020.

The amendments do not come into effect until the Bill is proclaimed.

The Bill will be proclaimed as soon as possible following the drafting of supporting regulations.