ByLawyers News and Updates

Workers’ compensation – QLD

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Recent amendments to workers’ compensation legislation have commenced in Queensland.

All workers’ compensation provisions of the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2019 have commenced as of 1 July 2020. They mostly apply only in relation to new claims.

The amendments include:

  • extending workers’ compensation coverage to unpaid interns;
  • requiring employers and insurers to provide ongoing rehabilitation and return to work services if the injured worker has been unable to return to work after their entitlement to weekly benefits and medical expenses ceases;
  • requiring employers and insurers to take reasonable steps to provide support services for workers with psychiatric and psychological injuries on a without prejudice basis while their claims are being assessed;
  • removing the requirement for the worker’s employment to have been the major significant contributor to a worker’s psychiatric or psychological injury;
  • making the decision of an insurer not to provide support services to workers with psychiatric and psychological injuries reviewable;
  • extending circumstances in which insurers have discretion to waive time requirements for lodging an application;
  • replacement of dollar amounts of compensation with reference to QOTE, being the seasonally adjusted amount of Queensland full-time adult ordinary time earnings, as declared by the Australian Statistician;
  • requiring self-insured employers to report injuries and payments to WorkCover;
  • making provision for qualification, via accredited training, of the rehabilitation and return to work coordinators that employers must appoint under the Act;
  • providing that apologies or expressions of regret by employers regarding workplace injuries are not admissible or able to be considered on the question of liability in an action for common law damages – this applies retrospectively to apologies or expressions of regret made before the commencement of these amendments.

The By Lawyers Queensland Workers’ Compensation publication has been updated accordingly.

Personal injury – QLD

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A useful recent case has been added to the commentary in the By Lawyers Personal injury – QLD publication.

In Folwell v Mayer [2020] QSC 162 the court allowed the applicant an extension of time. The circumstances were that the applicant had issued a complying notice of claim under Part 1 of the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002 (Qld) within the limitation period, but had not otherwise completed the pre-litigation procedures required under the Act and was out of time to commence proceedings.

The applicant applied under s 59 of the Act for leave to commence proceedings even though the limitation period had expired.

The court reviewed the legislation and the cases on such applications, in some detail.

The factual circumstances were also examined closely, especially the chronology of the steps taken in relation to the matter by the applicant and her solicitors. These factual details proved to be determinative, as is usually the case in such applications.

The court found that the applicant herself had been less than pro-active in pursuing her claim, but further found that ‘… on the material before the court, the failure to conscientiously comply with the legislative requirements… rests predominantly with the applicant’s solicitor, rather than the applicant herself.’

The court also noted that ‘…the respondent does not identify any specific prejudice it will suffer if the application is granted.’

In the circumstances, notwithstanding the delay, the court determined that the applicant had an arguable claim and there could still be a fair trial. Accordingly the court ruled that ‘…the interests of justice favour exercising the discretion to grant the application to alter the limitation period under s 59’.

The case has been added to the commentary in Personal injury – QLD under Limitation periods.

Motor Accident claims disputes – NSW

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The NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) has launched its new digital portal for motor accident claims disputes. The new platform allows online lodgement, gives all parties to a dispute access to real-time status updates, and is designed to enhance communication and efficiency.

Motor accidents in NSW which occurred after 1 December 2017 are covered by the Motor Accidents Injuries Act 2017 (MAIA). Under the MAIA disputes scheme there is a SIRA Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) established by sections 7.2 and 7.3 to consider and determine a wide range of disputes as set out in Schedule 2 of the MAIA.

The types of disputes fall into three broad categories:

  • Merit Review;
  • Medical Assessment issues;
  • Claims Assessment matters;
  • Miscellaneous disputes.

Essentially, the DRS is the ‘one-stop shop’ for disputes under the scheme.

Application for resolution of motor accident claims disputes can now be lodged online via the SIRA DRS portal.

The portal can also be used to check the progress of applications, receive notification of the outcome of the dispute and to lodge any review if required.

To use the portal practitioners need to register an account with Service NSW and link the account with SIRA.

The By Lawyers Motor Vehicle Accidents (NSW) – Accidents from 1 December 2017 guide has been updated accordingly.

Out of time claims – Workers Comp – NSW

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Out of time claims under the Workers Compensation Act 1987 were considered in the recent Supreme Court decision of Hole v Gregory Ronald Lyons trading as Greg Lyons Building Constructions [2020] NSWSC 102.

Section 151D (2) of the Act provides that common law claims must be brought within 3 years of the date of injury. Out of time claims require the leave of the court in which the claim is brought. In Hole, Button J granted leave to commence proceedings some four years out of time on the basis that the plaintiff had adequately explained the delay.

Interestingly, the essence of the explanation was the plaintiff’s extended engagement in the claims process under the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998. The Court noted that: ‘…there is a whole structure, external to the Court in which litigation is to commence, in which one must engage in an effort to have the matter resolved away from Court.’

In that context, the Court also noted that this was not a case where anybody involved in the litigation was ‘taken by surprise‘, or prejudiced by the delay.

In its consideration of the matter the Court followed the principles relating to a grant of leave for out of time claims set out in Smith v Grant [2006] NSWCA 244.

These helpful cases have been added to the By Lawyers Workers Compensation (NSW) Guide. A link to s 151D has also been added to the Retainer Instructions precedent on the matter plan in that Guide.

Personal Injury – New list – VIC

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Personal injury lawyers should be aware that the Supreme Court of Victoria has a new case management list. The Institutional Liability List in the Common Law division manages institutional child abuse matters.

Proceedings suitable for inclusion in the list are those involving:

  • Claims against an organisation founded on the death or personal injury of a person as a result of alleged physical or sexual abuse of a minor.
  • Claims for breach of the duty of care imposed by s 91 of the Wrongs Act 1958 (Vic).
  • Applications to set aside a previous judgment or settlement agreement pursuant to sections 27QB or 27QD of the Limitation of Actions Act 1958 prior to the commencement of a proceeding on an action referred to in s 27QA of that Act.
  • Claims against an educational organisation arising out of the death or personal injury of a student of that organisation as a result of physical, sexual or psychological abuse by a fellow student or individual employed or associated with that organisation.

The management of proceedings in the Institutional Liability List is in accordance with Practice Note SC CL3 – Personal Injuries List.

The By Lawyers Personal Injury (VIC) Publication and the Supreme Court Civil (VIC) Publication have been updated accordingly.

Workers Compensation – NSW

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The By Lawyers Workers Compensation – NSW publication has been updated.

The final provisions of the Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Act 2018 commenced on 21 October 2019.

The amendments include the introduction of a simplified process to determine an injured worker’s pre-injury average weekly earnings.

The new Schedule 3 to the Workers Compensation Act 1987 provides the method for determining pre-injury average weekly earnings. Insurers and workers may now agree on a figure.

The relevant section of the By Lawyers Workers Compensation – NSW commentary has been updated accordingly.

Motor vehicle accidents – NSW

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The By Lawyers NSW Motor vehicle accidents publication has been reviewed by our author, experienced solicitor Kim Rickards, an accredited specialist in personal injury law.

This publication contains two separate guides, covering the two different statutory schemes for motor vehicle accidents which occurred before, or on and after, 1 December 2017.

Accidents prior to 1 December 2017

Claims arising from motor vehicle accidents which occurred prior to 1 December 2017 are governed by and made under the Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (MACA).

Recent decisions which have considered MACA and the operation of the scheme have been added to this commentary. These include IAG Limited T/as NRMA Insurance v Khaled [2019] NSWSC 320  and IAG Limited t/as NRMA Insurance v Qianxia Lou [2019] NSWSC 382.

The main issue in these cases was whether an assessor had properly considered, under the SIRA guidelines, whether to issue a certificate under s 92(1)(b) of MACA that the matter was not suitable for assessment by the Claims Assessment and Resolution Service (CARS). The issue of such a certificate is required before the applicant can commence court proceedings for a claim.

Accidents on or after 1 December 2017

Claims arising from motor vehicle accidents which occurred on or after 1 December 2017 are governed by and made under the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017.

Enhancements to this commentary have been made in a number of areas including Costs and Common law claims, including the very practical suggestion that the insurer be requested to concede that the threshold of 10% whole person impairment is overcome, so as to permit prompt commencement of a common law claim where fault exists on the part of another driver.

 

Workers Compensation guide – NSW

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The By Lawyers Workers Compensation guide has received an extensive author review. The matter plan has been amended in accordance with the commentary updates. This reflects recent amendments to the Workers Compensation Act 1987. New precedents have also been added.

The following are excerpts from the updated commentary in our NSW Workers Compensation guide:

Interaction with the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017

For clients who have suffered injuries which require significant ongoing treatment into the future, or who have an established entitlement to payment of ongoing weekly income benefits, the value of ongoing and future benefits must be considered and explained to the client so that instructions to finalise the MAIA claim and therefore finalise all future workers compensation benefits are given on a fully informed basis. The advice given and the instructions received must be fully recorded in a file note and the client required to sign a written authority to settle on that basis.

There is a precedent Authority to settle available on the matter plan.

Entitlement to weekly benefits

The extent of any entitlement to weekly benefits is assessed with regard to the capacity of the injured worker to undertake some form of employment and is reviewed by a twenty-eight-day cycle. This entitlement to weekly benefits cannot be regarded as fixed and final until retirement age even where the worker has suffered a serious injury.

An injured worker is required to provide to the insurer a Certificate of Capacity from the treating doctor. This certificate is required to contain the opinion of the doctor about work capacity even where work which is stated to be within the capacity of the injured worker is not available.

The insurer is not required to accept the treating doctor’s opinion and may adopt the opinion of its own doctor.

The insurer is required to make a Work Capacity Decision based upon available, proper information.

Precedent letters to the client’s treating and specialist doctors, requesting the doctor’s opinion about work capacity, are available on the matter plan.

Costs disclosure – Increase of legal rates during a matter

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Increase of legal rates during a matter

All By Lawyers Costs Agreements and Client Service Agreements have been updated to include a clause notifying a client that legal rates may increase during the course of a matter requiring a revision of the costs estimate provided. This clause provides for 30 days written notice of any proposed changes to legal rates. While such a clause is not required by Legal Profession legislation concerning costs disclosure requirements, providing such notice on initial costs disclosure is considered best practice.

All of our Guides contain Costs Agreements (Client Service Agreements for QLD Guides) within the folder ‘A. Getting the mater underway’. All of our agreements are compliant with the relevant Legal Profession legislation and are reviewed and updated regularly to ensure compliance.

Victims Rights and Support Act – amendments – NSW

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The By Lawyers Victims Rights and Support NSW publication has been updated to reflect the recent amendments to the Victims Rights and Support Act 2013 and the Victims Rights and Support Regulation 2013, by the Victims Rights and Support Amendment (Statutory Review) Act 2018.

Notable changes include:

  • an increase in the initial limit of approved counselling services for family victims from 20 to 22 hours; and
  • an increase in the maximum amount payable as financial assistance to family victims for funeral expenses from $8,000 to $9,500.

The Commentary and Retainer Instructions in the By Lawyers guide have been updated accordingly.

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