Key activity between 1 July 2019 and 10 September 2019

Employers

• 155 penalty notices approved for the amount of $750 each, issued pursuant to s155 of the Workers Compensation Act 1987, for employers failing to take out compulsory workers compensation insurance.
• $3.4M in additional premium raised, from employers detected by SIRA as not having workers compensation insurance.
• 4,556 additional employees now covered by workers compensation insurance (noting that icare does provide cover in the event of a business failing to have a workers compensation insurance policy).

Providers

• 49 caution letters sent to medical practitioners/providers regarding compliance obligations.
• Seven education letters sent to insurers to leverage practitioner/provider compliance.
• One medical practitioner and one allied health practitioner subjected to SIRA site visits using powers under s238AA of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 to obtain information.
• Two providers subjected to SIRA’s investigative powers pursuant to s238AA of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998, due to suspected duplicate invoicing, overcharging and over-servicing.
• Investigations commenced against one provider for failure to comply with SIRA inspectors under s238 of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998. Potential maximum penalty of $11,000.

Insurers

• 86 notices issued under section 40B of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 (data gathering power) to obtain information for suspected legislative breaches.
• Two insurers, Catholic Church Insurance Limited and Veolia Environmental Services (Australia) Pty Ltd, notified of SIRA’s intention to impose new licence conditions.
• Catholic Church Insurance Limited was issued three penalty notices with respect to non-compliance with claims management practices within their portfolio.
• Civil penalties imposed on the Nominal Insurer in relation to 24 breaches of s267 of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 (duty to commence weekly payments following initial notification of injury).
• Direction notice issued to the Nominal Insurer under s194 of the Workers Compensation Act 1987 (directions to insurers with respect to claims procedures) requiring compliance with Return to Work data items from 1 August 2019.
• Nine formal warnings issued for breach of licence conditions pursuant to section 181 of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998, in respect of the failure to provide timely and/or accurate claims data to SIRA:
  • Coles Group Limited
  • Racing NSW
  • Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd
  • Statecover Mutual Limited
  • Toll Holdings Limited
  • Central Coast Council
  • NSW Trains
  • Boral Limited
  • Bluescope Steel Limited.
• Five notices issued under s238AA of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 (notice served by an inspector, with the power to obtain information) in relation to claims information.