The Minns Labor government in New South Wales has faced a setback as its controversial bill, aimed at curtailing workers' compensation claims for psychological injuries, was sent to a parliamentary inquiry. Crossbenchers and the Coalition united to force the inquiry, despite Treasurer Daniel Mookhey's insistence on the bill's urgency due to a daily $5 million deficit in the compensation scheme. Critics, including unions and medical experts, argue the bill's proposed higher impairment threshold (30%) is too high and will severely impact injured workers.
Setback for Minns government as controversial workers’ compensation bill sent to inquiry
New South Wales politicsAustraliaNew South WalesChris Minns
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️The Minns Labor government in New South Wales has faced a setback as its controversial bill, aimed at curtailing workers' compensation claims for psychological injuries, was sent to a parliamentary inquiry. Crossbenchers and the Coalition united to force the inquiry, despite Treasurer Daniel Mookhey's insistence on the bill's urgency due to a daily $5 million deficit in the compensation scheme. Critics, including unions and medical experts, argue the bill's proposed higher impairment threshold (30%) is too high and will severely impact injured workers.
Trending- 1 2012: Previous changes to the workers' compensation scheme were implemented and later reversed.
- 2 A week ago (late May 2025): The Minns Labor government released the controversial workers' compensation bill.
- 3 June 5, 2025: The bill was sent to a parliamentary inquiry.
- 4 Next week (early June 2025): The parliamentary committee for the inquiry will meet.
- 5 June 24, 2025: The state budget for New South Wales is scheduled to be delivered.
- Delay in the passage of the workers' compensation bill.
- Continued public debate and scrutiny of the proposed changes to workers' compensation.
- Potential for amendments to the bill based on inquiry findings.
- Ongoing financial deficit for the NSW workers' compensation scheme in the short term.
What: A controversial bill proposed by the Minns Labor government in New South Wales, intended to limit workers' compensation claims for psychological injuries, has been referred to a parliamentary inquiry.
When: The bill was released a week ago (late May 2025). The parliamentary inquiry was forced on June 5, 2025. The state budget is scheduled to be delivered on June 24, 2025.
Where: New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
Why: The Minns government seeks to address a significant daily deficit ($5 million) in the workers' compensation scheme and prevent future premium increases. Opponents, including crossbenchers, the Coalition, unions, and medical/legal experts, argue the bill's proposed changes are too harsh on injured workers and lack sufficient justification or transparency.
How: Crossbenchers and the Coalition collaborated to vote for a parliamentary inquiry into the bill, thereby delaying its immediate passage through parliament.