Insurables — Australian business risk, sourced and dated

Statutory scheme · Western Australia · WA

Workers compensation (Western Australia)

The Western Australian workers compensation scheme, where cover is placed with approved private insurers under a regulated framework.

Data as at · refreshed by scripts/seed-graph.mjs

What the scheme requires

  • Who must insure: Every WA employer must hold workers compensation insurance for anyone employed who the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023 defines as a worker, including cover for claims at common law; contracted individuals can be workers under an extended definition. WA · effective 2026-08-13 WorkCover WA · 2026-08-13
  • Premium basis: WorkCover WA publishes recommended premium rates annually on its website for policies from 1 July 2024. The insurer takes a remuneration declaration, assigns an industry classification, and may discount or load the recommended industry rate on individual risk. WA · effective 2024-07-01 WorkCover WA · 2026-08-13
  • Certificate of currency process: The WA scheme is privately underwritten: policies are issued by WorkCover WA licensed insurers, with brokers able to negotiate on the employer's behalf. The employer receives a certificate of currency on obtaining cover, specifying the insured entity and the coverage period. WA · effective 2026-08-13 WorkCover WA · 2026-08-13
  • Small employer exemption: No small-employer exemption is stated: cover is required for anyone employed who is a worker under the Act, and family members can be workers. Individuals cannot cover themselves even if self-employed with an ABN; companies choose whether working directors are insured as workers. WA · effective 2026-08-13 WorkCover WA · 2026-08-13

Who administers it

  • WorkCover WA — Regulates the Western Australian workers compensation scheme and licenses its insurers.

The cover this scheme deals with

  • Workers compensation insurance — Statutory cover for injury to workers, arranged through each state or territory scheme rather than on the open market.

What this scheme does not do

Scheme cover and a business’s own insurance answer different questions. A workers compensation scheme responds to injury and illness suffered by a business’s own workers; it does not cover injury to members of the public, damage the business causes to someone else’s property, or the business’s own assets.

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