Information on 2009 SRC Act amendments
There have been some recent changes to the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act).
The lump sum death benefit and prescribed child weekly benefit have increased following passage of the Employment and Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2009 (EWRA Act). The EWRA Act amended the SRC Act to provide:
- increases to lump sum payment amounts made to dependants who were wholly dependant on the employee under subsection 17(3) to $400 000*
- increases to the amount payable for any dependants who were partially dependant on the employee under subsection 17(4) to a maximum of $400 000*
- increases to the benefits for prescribed children under subsection 17(5) to $110*.
* These increases were made retrospective to 13 May 2008 and were increased by indexation on 1 July 2008 and will be further subject to indexation each 1 July thereafter. The subsection 17(3) benefit and the maximum subsection 17(4) benefit will be indexed by wage price index (WPI) rather than consumer price indexation (CPI) from 1 July 2009. For rates from 13 May 2008 see statutory rates.
Passage of the Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws—General Law Reform) Act 2008 from 10 December 2008 removes discrimination against same-sex couples, their dependants and their dependent children, from a wide range of Commonwealth laws and programs including the SRC Act.
This will ensure that same-sex couples, their dependent children and other dependants receive the same SRC Act entitlements previously only available to married or de facto opposite-sex couples and their dependants.
More information
For more information, please read the latest jurisdictional policy advices, call Comcare on 1300 366 979 or email src.policy@comcare.gov.au