The Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (the SRC Act) establishes the Commonwealth workers' compensation and rehabilitation scheme.
The SRC Act covers employees of the Commonwealth, Commonwealth authorities, the Australian Capital Territory Government and a small number of private corporations, which self-insure their workers' compensation liabilities under the scheme.
The Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 can be found on the Australian Government's Federal Register of Legislation website.
For further information about the Comcare scheme or the SRC Act, you can contact us at workerscompensationpolicy@dewr.gov.au.
Please note that information provided by phone or email will be of a general nature only. The department cannot provide legal advice or personal or case specific information.
For further information regarding claims under the Comcare scheme, visit the Comcare website.
Firefighter provisions of the SRC Act
The Attorney-General’s Department conducted a review of the firefighter provisions of the SRC Act in 2020. The review has been finalised.
In 2020, a review of the deemed diseases for firefighters in the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act) was conducted. The deemed diseases provisions streamline access to compensation for firefighters who contract prescribed diseases. The review was conducted with assistance from Professor Tim Driscoll, an independent consultant in epidemiology, occupational health and public health. The review was informed by consultation with key stakeholders who were invited to make submissions to the review.
The final report of the review was provided to the then Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash. The previous government accepted the report’s recommendations. Key stakeholders will be consulted in the implementation of the recommendations, including amendments to the SRC Act.
