Administrative and scheme delivery changes
No significant changes.
Policy developments
An ACT Legislative Assembly standing committee conducted an inquiry into insurance costs in 2025. The ACT Government’s response outlines an upcoming program of research and consultation that is expected to lead to the development of further workers compensation scheme reform.
Legislative amendments
A series of amendments commencing in 2025 were designed to:
- introduce a provisional liability crisis payment, in the form of a lump sum payable to close family members living with a worker who dies in the course of their work. Being a provisional liability type payment, there can be no recovery in cases where liability is ultimately not accepted
- improve and modernise statutory permanent impairment entitlements, by determining silicosis to be an occupational disease for which the full statutory impairment amount is payable and removing discriminatory restrictions on access to permanent impairment lump sums for people with compensable HIV/AIDS
- create a regulatory mechanism to allow the Government to set premium prices for designated employers or occupations and to assume responsibility for the associated claim administration, within the privately underwritten scheme; and
- support injured workers whose incapacity is likely to be permanent to continue to receive weekly compensation while living outside Australia.
The enabling amendment Acts for these changes were the Workplace Legislation Amendment Act 2025, Workplace Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (No 2) and Workplace Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (No 3).