Cairns single mother of two living in ‘shed’ after workplace injury

As new compo laws are debated in parliament a 45-year-old single mother from Cairns tells how she had to sell her family home to pay for medical costs for a workplace injury.

The woman had to sell her home while waiting for her worker compensation claim to be determined. FILE PHOTO

A 45-year-old injured worker from Cairns has had to sell her family home to pay for medical costs because her employer fought her over an eventually-accepted injury claim.

The woman waited for six months for the claim to be accepted and a further three months to receive weekly benefits.

She said that during this period her condition deteriorated.

The single mother of two claimed PTSD, panic disorder and anxiety, illnesses eventually accepted by the insurer which she said was the result of “abuse by clients and bullying by co-workers” – but not before she had to sell her family home.

The woman says she has a psychiatric injury from her workplace.

“With the limited profit made on the sale of my home and being amid a housing crisis, I

couldn’t afford the higher rents being asked and my rental applications were rejected. I now

live in a home that can be best described as a ‘shed’ and is without a flushing toilet”.

The woman explained that she was unable to afford a tradesperson to bring her home conditions up to a liveable standard and has been “further impacted in December by Cyclone Jasper and watched as my veranda floated off into the ocean”.

She said the financial stress and anxiety were further compounded by an employer who had a ‘tokenistic’ involvement in the process and was focused on getting the woman back to work whilst she was still injured.

“I was pressured to return to work, even though I had not yet received the treatment I so desperately needed.”

Beth Rolton from Travis Schultz & Partners said “Queensland employers have fared well below the national average of employer response to injury, willingness to support injured workers, and to treat worker fairly”.

“Making a claim is a necessary choice most people would prefer not to make,” she said.

However, Ms Rolton said there was “encouraging news for injured workers” with the introduction into parliament last month of the Queensland Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024.

If passed, the legislation will ensure the insurer makes a basic weekly payment to the injured worker within one week of acceptance of the claim.

Beth Rolton says that injured workers suffer because of long delays in the worker compensation scheme.

Ms Rolton supports the proposed legislation, stating the industry had long been calling for

this to ensure injured employees have access to benefits sooner.

“The basic payment will be a set, very low amount, but will allow injured workers who’s claims have been approved to start the all-important diagnosis and healing process sooner,” Ms Rolton said.

Originally published as Cairns single mother of two living in ‘shed’ after workplace injury