How workers compensation works for WA employers
In short
- WorkCover WA regulates the Western Australian scheme; it does not itself sell the policy.
- Employers place cover with a private insurer WorkCover WA has approved, usually through a broker or the insurer directly.
- Larger employers who qualify can apply to become self-insurers instead of holding a policy with an approved insurer.
Western Australia runs its workers compensation scheme differently from its eastern neighbours: there is no single state insurer, and no central claims-agent structure either. This page sets out who regulates the WA scheme, who actually underwrites the policy, and what the alternative to a standard policy looks like.
Knowing which of those three roles a business is actually dealing with saves a call to the wrong office.
WorkCover WA regulates; it does not insure
WorkCover WA is the government agency responsible for overseeing and regulating the workers compensation and injury management scheme in Western Australia. It sets the framework — including definitions and licensing standards for insurers — but it is not the entity a business buys a policy from.
The policy comes from an approved insurer
Cover is placed with a private insurer that WorkCover WA has approved to write workers compensation business in the state. An employer typically works through a broker or contacts an approved insurer directly, and the insurer looks at the scope of cover needed, any contractual requirements already agreed — such as being noted for a principal’s indemnity, or a waiver — and the business’s claims history in putting the policy together.
What the insurer needs to price it
Accurate remuneration records and a clear picture of the workforce — including which roles are employees and which are contractors or subcontractors — are what an insurer and a broker use to work out the premium and confirm who the policy actually needs to cover. Getting the workforce structure wrong at this stage tends to produce a coverage gap later rather than just a pricing correction.
Self-insurance as an alternative
A Western Australian employer that qualifies can move away from the approved-insurer model and become a self-insurer, taking on the licensed responsibility for its own claims rather than paying premium to a private insurer. This is a separate licensed pathway with its own standards, not a bigger version of the ordinary policy.
Questions
- Is WorkCover WA my insurer?
- No. WorkCover WA regulates the scheme and approves which insurers can write the business. The policy itself is held with one of those approved insurers.
- Can I choose any insurer I like?
- Only from the insurers WorkCover WA has approved to write workers compensation in the state. It is a narrower list than the general insurance market.
- Is self-insurance available to a business of any size?
- It is generally reserved for employers who meet WorkCover WA’s own standards for the arrangement. Checking directly rather than assuming eligibility is the reliable step.
Sources
- WorkCover WA — insurance for employers — The WA scheme regulator on employers engaging a licensed insurer, and on insurers being obliged to report policies to WorkCover WA for monitoring. Governing statute: the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023 (WA).
- WorkCover WA — The Western Australian work injury scheme regulator. It licenses and monitors insurers rather than underwriting cover itself.