The Minns government’s proposed ‘reform’ to workers compensation would drastically curtail the ability of psychologically injured workers to access long-term payments.

Women workers including nurses and midwives would be hit hard by the NSW government’s “appalling” workers compensation plans, said NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary, Michael Whaites.

He urged the government to focus on preventing psychological injuries in the workplace rather than making it harder for nurses and other essential workers to access support.

Under the government proposal, nurses, midwives and carers would automatically be denied access to workers compensation for psychological injuries arising from excessive workloads.

Workers who were bullied or sexually harassed at work would have to prove it in court before being eligible for workers compensation, and the injury threshold to continue receiving payments would double to 31 per cent.

In evidence to the parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, Michael said 85 per cent of people who suffer a psychological injury at work were women.

“We see the proposed changes as, quite frankly, abhorrent,” he said.

“There are systems of work within health, whether it is NSW Health or other healthcare providers, that are injuring nurses, midwives and carers, who are predominantly women. This proposed legislation will exclude them from compensation.”

He said the NSWNMA gave NSW Health a copy of a report the Association commissioned in 2023 which showed that 15 per cent of nurses had indications of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“A significant other amount had indications of burnout. This was related, in the post-COVID setting, to workloads: workloads generated by being short-staffed, a poor
skill mix and increasing activity through those hospitals and aged-care facilities.

“We provided that to government. Health representatives dismissed it out of hand.”

Government doesn’t value nurses

Michael said excessive workloads could be fixed by pay increases to restore wages after a decade of “wage suppression”, and more nurses and midwives on the floor.

“But we see through the government’s actions that they don’t actually value nurses and midwives, because they are fighting the pay rise that will fix the issue.

“With the changes to this [workers comp] legislation, we see they just don’t care.

Those workloads are injuring our members. They will not be compensable injuries under the proposed legislation. Members will just be left to the social security services and no longer work. It’s appalling.”

Speaking elsewhere, Michael said the Labor Party pledged to stand by injured workers at the last state election.

“It cannot go down the path of inflicting cruelty on its essential workers,” he added.

When The Lamp went to press the workers compensation ‘reforms’ were under consideration by the Public Accountability and Works Committee in state parliament’s upper house.