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Western Australia enacted the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Amendment Regulations 2026 on April 1, 2026. Key changes include: (1) mandatory workers' compensation coverage for fishing crew effective June 30, 2026 at 16:00 AWST, requiring fishing vessel owners to obtain insurance; (2) restriction of allied health provider eligibility to AHPRA general registration holders effective April 1, 2026; and (3) updated CPI calculation methodology for benefit indexation effective July 1, 2027. Fishing vessel employers must secure coverage by the June 30 deadline, and allied health providers must verify their registration status to continue providing treatment services.
Western Australia expands workers' compensation to fishing crew and updates health provider eligibility from April 2026
Western Australia enacted the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Amendment Regulations 2026 on 2026-04-01, expanding mandatory coverage to fishing crew and restricting allied health provider eligibility. Fishing vessel owners must obtain workers' compensation insurance for crew by 2026-06-30 at 16:00 AWST, while allied health providers must hold general registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) to continue providing treatment services under the scheme effective 2026-04-01.
Who is affected
Employers: Fishing vessel owners and operators engaging fishing crew in Western Australia must obtain workers' compensation insurance for these workers. All employers should note the Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculation change for benefit indexation effective 2027-07-01.
Workers: Persons engaged as fishing crew who meet the definition of "worker" under the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act are now covered by the WA workers' compensation scheme.
Health providers: Allied health practitioners registered with AHPRA who provide treatment services under the scheme must hold general registration. Practitioners with provisional or limited AHPRA registration are not eligible to provide treatment services.
What's changing
| Rule | Before | After (Effective Date) |
|---|---|---|
| Fishing crew coverage | Fishing crew not explicitly covered under workers' compensation scheme | Fishing crew who qualify as "workers" must be covered by employers' workers' compensation insurance (2026-06-30 at 16:00 AWST) |
| Allied health provider eligibility | AHPRA-registered providers could provide treatment services regardless of registration type | Only AHPRA general registration holders eligible; provisional and limited registration holders excluded (2026-04-01) |
| CPI calculation for benefit indexation | Previous ABS CPI data publication method | Updated ABS CPI data publication method (2027-07-01) |
The 16:00 AWST effective time for fishing crew coverage aligns with standard workers' compensation insurance policy renewal times in Western Australia.
What NEO partners and clients should do
- Fishing vessel employers: Obtain workers' compensation insurance coverage for fishing crew by 2026-06-30 at 16:00 AWST. Review WorkCover WA's Coverage of Fishing Crew Fact Sheet to understand specific obligations.
- Allied health providers: Verify AHPRA registration status is "general registration" before 2026-04-01 to continue providing treatment services in the scheme.
- All WA employers: Note the CPI calculation methodology change effective 2027-07-01 for workers' compensation benefit indexation purposes.
- Employers with noise-exposed workers: Review updated noisy employer determination requirements for noise-induced hearing loss claims when workers are no longer employed.
