The McGowan Government has introduced a Bill to ensure dependent family members of workers killed on the job receive fair, reasonable and timely compensation.
The Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Act 1981 will be amended to significantly increase the lump sum payable to dependant partners and more than double the child’s allowance payable to each dependent child.
Other changes will see de facto partners of workers given the same access to compensation as married spouses by removing outdated and discriminatory definitions.
The lump sum will increase from $308,339 to $562,303 indexed annually, this new lump sum is 250 per cent of the maximum compensation payable for a non-fatal injury.
Partners of deceased workers will no longer be required to prove their exact financial level of dependency or have their entitlement significantly reduced because they make a modest income.
The new child’s allowance will increase from $58.90 a week to $133 a week indexed annually.
As children will also receive a portion of the lump sum, the Bill gives far greater financial support for the care and maintenance of children than ever before.