Workers Compensation Insurance

Every business that employs staff carries a workers-compensation obligation, but the obligation does not look the same across the country. The schemes in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and the Commonwealth Comcare system differ in how cover is arranged, how premium is set and how claims are managed. Some are privately underwritten and some are managed or underwritten by a state scheme, where the role a broker can play is more limited.

Because of that, workers compensation is rarely a single national task. It is a set of state and territory obligations that need to be handled correctly where your workers are employed, with attention to premium drivers, claims experience, return-to-work performance and governance. The cost of getting it wrong shows up in premium, in claims that run longer than they should and in the time taken away from running the business.

DKG is an advisory-led general insurance broker. We support employers across the parts of workers compensation a broker can act on in the relevant scheme: policy set-up and renewal, premium and classification, claims support, return-to-work coordination and governance. We are clear about which schemes we actively service and where a scheme limits the broker role, and we set those expectations up front. We do not guarantee premium savings, claim outcomes or compliance.

What are the benefits?

• Support for the workers-compensation obligation across the state or territory your workers are employed in, handled within the rules of the relevant scheme.
• Help with policy set-up, renewal, classification and premium, with attention to the drivers behind the cost.
• Claims support that helps you manage workplace injury and illness claims and the evidence and obligations around them.
• Return-to-work coordination that connects the claim, the workplace and the treating practitioners, designed to support a safe and structured return.
• A single adviser who can see workers compensation alongside the rest of your people-risk and business insurance programme.
• Governance support, so the business can see its claims experience and obligations clearly rather than in isolation.

What can it cover?

Workers compensation responds under the relevant statutory scheme rather than a single national policy. In general terms, and subject to the rules of the applicable scheme and the policy wording, the cover and support can include:

• Employee workplace injury and illness benefits, medical and rehabilitation costs and statutory entitlements, as set by the relevant scheme.
• Policy set-up, classification and premium management for the state or territory your workers are employed in.
• Claims support and insurer or scheme engagement through the life of a claim.
• Return-to-work planning and coordination, connecting to injury management where it applies.
• Governance and reporting support across the business’s workers-compensation position.

What is covered, how premium is calculated and how claims are managed are determined by the relevant scheme and the policy wording. We explain how your obligations work where your workers are employed, and where a scheme limits the broker role, we say so.

What usually isn’t covered?

Workers compensation is defined by the relevant statutory scheme, and what sits outside it is handled under other cover. In general terms, and subject to scheme rules and policy wording, the following are usually outside workers compensation:

• Matters that fall outside the relevant statutory scheme.
• Non-employee exposures, which are answered by other lines such as public liability or personal accident.
• Penalties or liabilities the scheme does not respond to.
• Outcomes that depend on the scheme regulator or insurer rather than the policy.

What is and is not covered is determined by the relevant scheme and the policy wording. We help you see where workers compensation ends and where other cover in your programme needs to respond.

How DKG supports you

We start with where your workers are employed and the obligations that follow, then support the parts of workers compensation a broker can act on in the relevant scheme. That can include policy set-up and renewal, premium and classification, claims support, return-to-work coordination and governance. We connect workers compensation to injury management and return to work and to the wider people-risk programme, so the pieces are managed together rather than separately. We are clear about which schemes we actively service and where a scheme limits the broker role.

When a claim is made, workers-compensation claims involve scheme rules, employer obligations, medical evidence and return-to-work planning. We support you through the process and help coordinate the claim, the workplace and the treating practitioners. The scheme and the policy wording determine entitlements and outcomes, and we do not guarantee premium savings, claim outcomes or reduced lost time.

Other cover may be considered and additional exclusions may apply.

At DKG Insurance Brokers, we understand that the needs of each customer are different, therefore we will take the time to assess your individual risk requirements and deliver a bespoke solution. Please reach out to one of our experienced brokers today.

To review your workers-compensation arrangements across the states and territories you employ in, speak with Marnie Maloney, Head of Life and People Risk at DKG Insurance Brokers via email or call on 1800 252 926.

Important note − The information provided is general advice only and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. When making decisions about workers compensation insurance, please consider the Product Disclosure Statement.