The Federal Government has outlined its response to the recent Review of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988, with Minister for Workplace Relations saying the Government has prioritised 21 recommendations of the report.

“The Government’s priority is to improve Comcare’s early engagement of injured workers and the effective provision of rehabilitation by employers,” Mr Shorten said.

The Review saw Dr Allan Hawke and Peter Hanks QC conduct an extensive investigation to ensure that injured workers covered by the Act and Comcare Scheme receive the care they are entitled to and recoverquickly and return to work as soon as possible.

“When a person is injured at work it is important that the focus is on early intervention and rehabilitation; to get them back into work as soon as possible,” the Minister said.

“Early intervention brings with it a range of benefits for workers and employers. It helps people who are injured get back to the things they value most in life sooner, including their jobs.”

Workplace related injuries and illnesses currently cost the country in excess of $60 billion a year, representing a 4.8 per cent slice of the nation’s GDP.

In addition to recommendations that emphasise early intervention and rehabilitation the Gillard Government will implement several recommendations that will correct legislative anomalies in the SRC Act.

“The Government will require Comcare to be more vigilant with assessing mental injury claims, by specifying that a mental injury, or aggravation of mental injury, is only considered to arise out of employment if any perception on which the injury is claimed has a reasonable basis,” Mr Shorten said.