On 20 May 2021, workers’ compensation laws in Queensland were amended to include a new presumptive streamlined pathway for first responders and eligible employees diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The amendments (detailed in the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2021) came about, in part, as a result of the increasing awareness of the impact of mental health from trauma exposure experienced by many first responders and the importance of supporting their mental health and wellbeing.
These new presumptive laws do not change existing workers’ compensation entitlements but instead provide a different pathway for lodging a workers’ compensation claim by reversing the onus of proof. This means that a first responder’s or eligible employee’s PTSD is deemed to be work-related unless there is evidence to the contrary.
