National Workers Compensation Action Plan

In December 2009, Safe Work Australia agreed to establish a Strategic Issues Group - Workers Compensation (SIG-WC).

The role of the SIG-WC will be to assist Safe Work Australia in performing its statutory functions. Specifically, the SIG-WC may: 

• provide advice on the identification and assessment of strategic issues that will improve national workers’ compensation arrangements across jurisdictions 
• provide advice on the development and resolution of issues relating to national workers’ compensation policy for employers with operations in more than one jurisdiction 
• provide advice on the development and implementation of the National Workers’ Compensation Action Plan 
• develop, harmonise and continuously enhance national comparative information on workers’ compensation arrangements 
• provide input to the preparation and analysis of a stocktake of current national and jurisdictional workers’ compensation policy; legislative matters and workers’ compensation arrangements guidance material and the development of national material if appropriate 
• provide strategic advice to the Research, Evaluation and Data Group on data and research priorities, information gaps and request data and research projects 
• assist Safe Work Australia to identify and obtain input from relevant stakeholders, and 
• consider other workers’ compensation matters as requested by Safe Work Australia or the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council.

The first meeting of the SIG-WC was held on 15 February 2010. The major topic of discussion was the content and format for a Workers Compensation Forum and subsequent SIG-WC planning meeting at the end of March 2010.

For further information on the activities of the SIG-WC, and the National Workers Compensation Action Plan contact Tracey Browne, Manager, National OHS Policy and Membership Services at tracey.browne@aigroup.asn.au.