New laws to be put before Parliament by the Tasmanian Government will assist Tasmanian Correctional Officers suffering from PTSD.
United Voice Tasmania Secretary Jannette Armstrong said the announcement by the Tasmanian Government that it would be putting presumptive PTSD legislation into the Parliament to cover first responders was a welcome development.
“This means workers will no longer have to prove they developed PTSD as a result of their employment before claiming Workers’ Compensation. With some research suggesting that up to 1 in 4 correctional officers will suffer a form of PTSD throughout their careers, this is absolutely a welcome change,” Ms Armstrong said.
“This will include our Correctional Officer members who have lobbied and pushed for this important change,” she said.
“Correctional Officers with PTSD from workplace trauma have been struggling to navigate the complicated workers’ compensation system which has been an additional and unnecessary burden.”
“This presumption reverses the onus of proof for a group of workers already struggling, in many cases, to cope with having being exposed to large amounts of trauma through their work.”
