Australia Needs One Fair Workers' Compensation Policy

One Nation. Why Do Injured Workers Have 11 Different Workers' Compensation Systems?

Australia has 11 separate workers' compensation and injury compensation jurisdictions. These schemes were introduced under different legislation over many decades—from the 1950s through to the 2010s—and each has developed its own rules, weekly payment rates, medical approval processes, rehabilitation requirements, dispute procedures, and compensation entitlements.

As a result, two workers with the same injury, doing the same job, can receive very different support simply because they were injured in different states or territories.

In my view, this is a system that should be reviewed.

The Commonwealth schemes—Comcare, Seacare, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs—serve specialised groups of workers and have unique responsibilities. It makes sense for those schemes to remain separate.

However, for the rest of Australia, there is a strong case for a single national workers' compensation policy that provides consistent minimum standards and equal access to benefits, regardless of where someone works.

Australia is one nation. Injured workers should not face different outcomes based solely on state borders. Every Australian worker deserves fair, consistent, and equitable support after a workplace injury.

Do you think it's time for a nationally consistent workers' compensation system?

Jurisdiction	Current Authority	Principal Legislation	Year
New South Wales	icare NSW	Workers Compensation Act 1987 and Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998	1987 / 1998
Victoria	WorkSafe Victoria	Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013	2013
Queensland	WorkCover Queensland	Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003	2003
Western Australia	WorkCover WA	Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023	2023
South Australia	ReturnToWorkSA	Return to Work Act 2014	2014
Tasmania	WorkSafe Tasmania	Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988	1988
Australian Capital Territory	ACT Workers Compensation Scheme	Workers Compensation Act 1951	1951
Northern Territory	NT WorkSafe	Return to Work Act 1986	1986
Commonwealth – Comcare	Comcare	Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act)	1988
Commonwealth – Seacare	Seacare	Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992	1992
Commonwealth – Department of Veterans' Affairs	Department of Veterans' Affairs	Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA), with additional compensation available under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA) and, for some veterans, the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA)	1988 / 2004 / 1986