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Department of Justice and Community Safety

INCAPACITY EARNINGS & DEFINITION OF WAGES

Incapacity Earnings

All partially and totally incapacitated workers receive their average pre-incapacity earnings for the first 26 weeks after the date of injury.  After that 26-week period the worker compensation payment is based on calculations using the CPI and AWE rates issued quarterly by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

CPI means - the All Groups Consumer Price Index (Canberra) issued by the Australian Statistician – Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 

AWE means – The average weekly earnings, States and Territories, seasonally adjusted for the ACT (all males total earnings) contained in Average Weekly Earnings, Australia (or substituted publication) issued by the ABS. 

These figures can be obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Website at www.abs.gov.au.

 

Definition of Wages

The ACT Wages and Earnings Guide was adopted from the WorkCover NSW Wages Definition Manual: October 2003. It has been developed to assist insurers, employers and employees to ensure consistency in defining the premium amounts payable and calculating injured workers’ entitlements. Click here for further information.