Administrative and scheme delivery changes
Additional regulatory items for workplace rehabilitation providers
On 1 January 2025 two additional service codes were added to the list of codes Workplace Rehabilitation Providers (WRPs) and insurers use when reporting the types of workplace rehabilitation services provided. The new codes are:
- WRP010 – Non-accredited service
- WRP011 – Travel
Secondary injury collection
Since 1 January 2025 insurers have been required to capture and report information concerning secondary injuries. Secondary injuries are further injuries that develop from an initial work-related injury.
Nurse practitioners issuing workers compensation certificates
Following amendments to the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988, From 1 December 2025 nurse practitioners will be permitted to issue workers compensation certificates. Nurse practitioners are authorised to issue workers compensation certificates in hospital emergency departments and other settings specified by the Regulations.
The Tasmanian Department of Health have developed a nurse practitioner Protocol. This protocol establishes the conditions under which credentialed NPs may issue a certificate and defines the role and responsibilities of NPs to ensure they operate within relevant legislation.
The Workcover Board Tasmania has reviewed and approved the protocol in readiness for implementation on 1 December 2025.
Policy developments
Racing Industry WHS Program
In 2024 WorkSafe Tasmania launched a work health and safety information and education programme targeting the Tasmanian racing industry. Following feedback, WorkSafe Tasmania has continued targeted engagement with the goal of enhancing WHS and workers compensation compliance among trainers, and will be working with the recently established Tasmanian Racing Integrity Commissioner.
Legislative amendments
In the last jurisdictional review in 2023 it was noted that the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill 2023 had passed both Houses of parliament, extending the list of presumptive cancers under the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 to include female reproductive cancers such as cervical cancer. The changes took effect on 7 November 2023.
There have since then been four other legislative amendments to the Act, most recently in December 2025. The first two sets of legislative amendments in 2023 and early 2025 were primarily administrative changes to the Act, with removal of obsolete references to repealed provisions of the Act (Justice and Related Legislation (Further Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2023), and an updated reference in the Act to the Racing Regulation and Integrity Act 2024 which began operation from 1 February 2025 (Racing Regulation and Integrity (Consequential Amendments) Act 2024).
The next two sets of legislative changes made comparatively more substantive changes to the workers compensation scheme established under the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988:
- On 1 July 2025 TASCAT’s jurisdiction was substantially broadened when the provisions of the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Additional Jurisdictions) Act 2025 took effect. Part of these changes saw restrictions imposed upon access to legal representation in workers rehabilitation and compensation matters being loosened. Another key change was the adoption of service rules under the TASCAT Act, which were notably broader than those provided under the 1988 Act, including the possibility of electronic service of documents
- From 1 December 2025 nurse practitioners are authorised, in specific circumstances, to sign a workers compensation medical certificate. This streamlines the workers compensation process, removing the requirement for hospital patients to require re-assessment by a medical practitioner for the purposes of a workers compensation certificate.