The national government has agreed to all the recommendations of a review of workers compensation arrangements for firefighters employed under the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act).
Among the recommendations accepted by the Government include expanding the list of prescribed cancers firefighters might find themselves affected with to include malignant mesothelioma; reducing the qualifying period for oesophageal cancer from 25 to 15 years and; extending the firefighter provisions to cover volunteer firefighters taken to be employed by the Australian Capital Territory.
The review was conducted by the Attorney-General’s Department with assistance from Professor of Epidemiology and Occupational Medicine at the University of Sydney, Tim Driscoll and was informed by submissions from key stakeholders.
Attorney-General, Christian Porter said firefighters covered by the SRC Act included those employed by Airservices Australia, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and the ACT Government.
“The Government is committed to supporting our firefighters, who play such a critical role in protecting our communities, including during the recent bushfires that devastated large parts of the country,” Mr porter said.
“All of the review’s recommendations have been accepted and the Government will now work with key industry stakeholders, including employers and unions, to implement these changes.”
Mr Porter said the available scientific literature would continue to be reviewed from time to time to ensure the list of prescribed diseases remained up-to-date and consistent with current science.
The 135-page Review of the Firefighter Provisions of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 can be accessed at this PS News link.
