Safe Work Australia has published a national policy approach for workers’ compensation and the gig economy.
Gig workers are generally engaged as independent contractors and typically do not have access to workers’ compensation, unlike employees performing the same kind of work. This approach sets out 5 principles to guide development of fair and consistent coverage for gig workers on digital labour platforms.
The principles were informed by consultation with workers’ compensation authorities, unions, employer representatives, digital labour platforms and gig workers.
The principles provide jurisdictions with the necessary flexibility to implement coverage in a way that accounts for the unique needs and context of individual schemes.