New Psychological Injury Workers Compensation Claims

The Labor Government’s new framework for psychological injury claims commenced on 1 July 2026, introducing significant changes to the requirements for lodging a workers’ compensation claim.

At Walker Law Group, we understand that it can be difficult to navigate this new framework and we are here to assist.

Key features of the new framework

1. You must establish that the injury was caused by a relevant event or series of related events. A relevant event can be any of the following:
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   1. Act or threat of violence.
   2. Subjected to indictable criminal conduct.
   3. Witnessing a traumatic incident.
   4. The death of a person in the worker’s care.
   5. Vicarious trauma.
   6. Bullying.
   7. Sexual harassment.
   8. Racial harassment.
   9. Excessive work demands.
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   These are all defined in Sections 8A-8K of the Workers Compensation Act 1987.
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2. There must be a real and direct connection between the relevant event and work.
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3. You must show that work is the main contributing factor to your injury.

New SIRA documentation

The recent reforms have introduced new documentation created by the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) to support the framework. These include:

• Claim Form
• Certificate of Capacity

Tips for completing a new psychological injury claim form

1. Ensure that you are clearly identifying which relevant event, or series of relevant events, have caused your injury.
2. Provide as much information as possible about the event, including specific examples and quotes of the events that occurred at work. Don’t be shy on the detail. This may include:
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   1. Details of the conduct or event.
   2. How many times it occurred.
   3. People involved in the conduct or event.
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3. Provide as much detail as possible to explain how the conduct that caused your injury is related to your employment. An injured worker has an onus to demonstrate this relationship. The Claim Form provides some helpful examples including:
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   1. Did the conduct or event occur at your place of work?
   2. Were the people involved in the conduct or event other employees of your work, or the employer’s customers/clients?

How Walker Law Group can help

At Walker Law Group, we understand that it can be difficult to navigate this new framework and we are here to assist. We specialise in workers compensation claims and are happy to have a further chat with you about the circumstances of your injury.

If you need assistance with navigating this new framework, dealing with insurance or completing the claim forms, please reach out to our expert team via our website or contact us on 02 8046 9700.