The Hodgman Liberal Government has taken action to make it easier for public sector workers to access work-related compensation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is now automatically presumed to be work-related in regards to public sector workers compensation claims for this injury.
Paramedics, police, firefighters, prison guards and other emergency service workers keep our community safe in often stressful and traumatic situations.
To ensure that this applies as quickly as possible to our hardworking emergency service and public sector workers, an administrative employment direction was made to Government Agencies, meaning that as of 30 October 2018, Government agencies are to accept diagnosed claims for PTSD compensation as work-related.
We are currently preparing legislative amendments to enshrine these new changes into law, which will be introduced to Parliament in the autumn 2019 session.
The Hodgman Liberal Government has a strong track record of protecting employees from workplace hazards, including:
- Supporting our firefighters through the amendments to the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act last year, which removed barriers to firefighter volunteers in accessing compensation for certain cancers.
- Launching the Keep Your Hands off our Ambos campaign in an effort to prevent the violent and aggressive behaviour toward paramedics and ambulance workers.
