Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2020

This bill makes it easier for first responders to claim workers' compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It creates a 'presumptive' system where PTSD in eligible workers is automatically assumed to be caused by their work, removing the burden on injured workers to prove the connection. This responds to evidence that first responders experience mental health conditions at 10 times the rate of the general workforce.