Doctors in the ACT have been directed to use "fit notes" to help sick and injured workers return to work as soon as possible, in the first stage of a plan to implement the new certificates nationally under the Comcare scheme, the Federal Employment Minister announced today.
The Federal Court has rejected a national employer's claim that the High Court's motel s-x decision established a new test that applies to all worker injuries, rather than just injuries sustained during an interval in an overall period of work.
Safe Work Australia's new deemed diseases report, which is designed to inform workers' comp laws and prevention strategies, includes a number of diseases that aren't included in the work-related diseases lists currently used in the states and territories.
A parliamentary inquiry has recommended that the Senate pass a controversial SRC Amendment Bill that tightens access to workers' compensation, broadens the definition of "reasonable administrative action" and codifies "reasonable" medical treatment.
A full Federal Court has confirmed that the Fair Work Act doesn't block injured NSW workers from accruing leave while they're receiving incapacity payments.
The Federal Government's three SRC Amendment Bills show "little understanding" of the dynamics of good workers' comp schemes, will drive up employer premiums and will "cost lives", according to a senior workers' compensation lawyer.
Governments are being warned against making "brutal cuts" to their workers' comp schemes as the workforce ages, while WorkCover Queensland has outlined how to improve the health and safety of older workers.