Amendment to the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988

Compensation payable for hearing loss under section 24

Background

1. On 1 October 2001 the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (the act) was amended in several areas, including the provisions relating to compensation payable for hearing loss under section 24.

Previous provisions

2. Subsection 24(7) provided that an employee must suffer a permanent impairment of at least 10% for compensation to be payable.   The only exceptions to this were contained in subsection 24(8) which provides that a lesser degree of permanent impairment may apply to the loss, or loss of the use, of a finger or toe and the loss of the sense of taste or smell.

3. The approved Permanent Impairment Guide specifies that for hearing loss claims the percentage whole person impairment is calculated by dividing the percentage binaural loss of hearing by two.  This meant that an employee must have had a binaural hearing loss of at least 20% to qualify for  compensation for permanent impairment.

4. Subsection 25(4) provides that no further amounts of compensation for permanent impairment are payable to an employee unless there is a subsequent increase of at least 10% whole person impairment i.e. a further 20% binaural hearing loss.

Reason for amendment

5. This requirement represents a significant hearing loss and was the highest threshold of all Australia's workers' compensation jurisdictions.  The Commonwealth scheme was inconsistent with the threshold arrangements in other jurisdictions (ranging between 5% and 10% binaural loss) resulting in Commonwealth employees being significantly disadvantaged in comparison. 
6. Expert advice was sought from the National Acoustics Laboratory.  This also concluded that the Commonwealth threshold was too high.  The Heads of Workplace Safety and Compensation Authorities (HWSCA) have adopted a model of a 10% binaural loss threshold, with a 5% loss being a trigger for rehabilitation.

New provisions

7. Section 24 of the act has been amended so that a binaural hearing loss of 5% or more (ie 2 ½   % whole person impairment) will now attract a permanent impairment award.  Subsection 24(7) has been repealed and substituted and a new sub-section 24(7A) has been inserted, as follows:

8. Section 25 of the act has been amended so that a further permanent impairment award can be made if there is a subsequent increase in the binaural hearing loss of 5%.  Sub-section 25(4) has been amended and a new sub-section 25(5) has been inserted, as follows:

(5)  If Comcare has made a final assessment of the degree of permanent impairment of an employee constituted by a hearing loss, no further amounts of compensation are payable to the employee in respect of a subsequent increase in the hearing loss, unless the subsequent increase in the degree of binaural hearing loss is 5% or more.

9. The Permanent Impairment Guide still specifies that for hearing loss claims the percentage whole person impairment is calculated by dividing the percentage loss of hearing by two.

Date of effect

10. The new provisions have effect only in relation to claims for compensation in respect of permanent impairment resulting from an injury suffered by an employee after the day on which the amendment receives the royal assent.  Claims resulting from injury suffered before that date should continue to be assessed under threshold provisions which existed before the amendment.

11. Any issues relevant to this policy advice may be discussed with the Policy & Co-ordination Group on 1300 366 979.

Regulatory Services Division

Comcare

   October 2001