Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance that can offer injured workers an
important safety net if they are injured or become ill because of work.
If a worker is injured at work, they can lodge a claim against their employer’s mandatory
insurance policy to:

• replace loss of income
• pay medical and rehabilitation expenses, and
• Compensate permanent impairment.

In the tragic circumstances where a worker is killed at work, workers’ compensation
insurance provides for:

• death entitlements
• dependant payments
• funeral expenses

If you have been injured at work or while travelling on a work-related matter:

1. Report the Incident
You need to notify your employer about your injury as soon as possible.
2. Seek Medical Assistance
Visit your General Practitioner or Emergency Department to seek medical
attention and document the injury.
3. Provide evidence
Compile written documentation or proof of the injury and any associated
expenses or losses including but not limited to:

• Medical certificates, reports, records or test results,
• Eyewitness testimony, photographs or videos of the incident or injury
• Receipts of medical expenses or associated costs
• Proof of time off work due to the injury

If injury has made your incapacitated for work for 7 days or more, You must complete the Workers Compensation Claim form and ask you GP to provide you Certificate of Capacity and submit It to your employer.

Under the Workers Compensation ACT 1951, ACT worker has the following rights:

• Right to receive weekly compensation
Injured worker has a right to receive weekly compensation from the date worker gives the employer notice of injury. A worker who is totally incapacitated by a work-related injury will receive their average pre-injury weekly earnings for the first 26 weeks from the date of the injury. After the first 26 weeks of incapacity,
the injured worker receives reduced amount calculated in accordance with section 41 of the Workers Compensation Act 1951 (the Act).
If a worker is partially incapacitated as a result of an injury, worker is entitled to receive difference between the partial return to work earnings, and the injured worker’s average pre-incapacity weekly earnings.

• Medical treatment and related expenses
An injured worker is entitled to receive cost of medical treatment and other expenses relating to a compensable injury.

As an employee you do not need to worry if your employer does not have workers’ compensation insurance. The ACT Default Insurance Fund (DIF) provides a safety net to injured workers who are left without access to workers’ compensation due to the actions of their employer.

The cost of this coverage is funded by all ACT employers who comply with the requirement to maintain a compulsory workers’ compensation insurance policy. The charge to policyholders (the DIF levy) is incorporated into the premiums paid by employers. Insurers are required to display the DIF levy amount on each premium
notice.

if your workers’ compensation claim has been declined by the insurance company or you don’t agree with the decision made by the workers compensation insurance, you can challenge the decision before ACT Industrial Court. Our experienced lawyers can advise and assist you to lodge your application before ACT Industrial Court.