From the corner office - WorkCover claims in Queensland

Following on from our recent newsletter we now know that the threshold regime applicable in Queensland WorkCover claims is time limited – workers who sustained injury between 15 October 2013 and 31 January 2015 need to overcome the 5% permanent impairment threshold before they can pursue common law rights against their Employer.

It follows that:

• For all injuries sustained after 31 January 2015 there is no threshold applicable, although the usual entitlement provisions apply.
• The limited duration of this threshold regime (15 months) means that we will never know to what extent common law claims would have reduced as a consequence of the application of the threshold, although, predictably, over this period there was some reduction.