NSW needs the Commonwealth to pay their fair share for public hospitals
February 12, 2022
AMA (NSW) welcomes Susan Pearce as new Secretary of NSW Health
February 22, 2022
AMA (NSW) is pleased the Committee into the Workers Compensation Amendment Bill 2021 is recommending the Legislative Council reject the Bill.
The Bill seeks to remove section 19B of the Workers Compensation Act, which creates a presumption that certain workers in frontline industries and occupations who acquire COVID-19 did so at work, thereby facilitating ready access for those workers to support through the workers compensation system.
“Medical practitioners and frontline workers in the health system face a high risk of exposure to COVID-19 on a daily basis. Requiring medical professionals to prove they contracted the virus at work places an additional burden and stress on workers who have already made a lot of sacrifices to protect the health and safety of Australians throughout the pandemic,” AMA (NSW) President, Dr Danielle McMullen said.
“We echo the Committee’s finding that now is not the time to be withdrawing support from workers in key frontline industries and occupations who still require and deserve the protection afforded by section 19B.
“Medical workers have faced a gruelling two years and shifting the financial burden of COVID-19 from Government and employers onto workers would erode goodwill from the profession.”
AMA (NSW) suggests the presumption should remain for a further period of 12 months, at which time the evidence should be reviewed to determine the impact of claims made by medical practitioners and healthcare workers on the workers compensation system.
AMA (NSW) also submits that the NSW Government should consider extending compensation to those healthcare workers who are not employees and therefore ineligible to access the workers compensation scheme.
“Many medical practitioners in the public hospital system are contractors, and the majority in the private hospital system are self-employed. These practitioners are often ineligible to make a claim under privately held insurance policies when contract COVID-19, as most are subject to an exclusion period,” Dr McMullen said.
The report and its recommendations are now with the government for consideration. The government is required to respond to the recommendations within six months.
If the Bill is passed, medical practitioners who contract COVID19 at work will be able to make a claim for compensation; however, those medical practitioners will need to demonstrate that they contracted COVID-19 in the workplace and that COVID-19 is the “main or substantial” contributing factor to their injury.
AMA (NSW) Media: 0419 402 955