Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendments (Improving the Comcare Scheme) Bill 2015

11 June 2015

Regulation Impact Statement – Department of Employment

Worker’s compensation and rehabilitation arrangements for most Commonwealth and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government employees are governed by the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act). This scheme is administered by Comcare. Since the SRC Act commenced operation, the nature of the risk covered by the Comcare scheme has changed substantially. In addition, a number of concerns have arisen including the incentives created by the scheme for employees to return to work, and the extent to which the services provided are commensurate with the seriousness of the injuries of those receiving the services. On 25 March 2015 the Government announced reforms to the SRC Act, which included improving return-to-work outcomes for injured workers, and greater focus on early intervention and better health outcomes of injured workers. The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) has assessed that the process followed by the Department of Employment and the level of analysis contained in the Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) is consistent with best practice. The RIS estimates the average annual regulatory cost saving at $144, 000 per annum, which has been agreed to by the OBPR.