Administered by

Purpose

Coverage

Number covered

Basis for legislation

Volunteers — recoupable claims

• Claims by volunteers under the:
• – Country Fire Authority Act 1958 are administered by the Country Fire Authority, and
• – Police Assistance Compensation Act 1968 (PAC Act) are administered by the Police Department.
• Except for claims under the Acts above, WorkSafe Victoria administers claims of volunteers as an agent on behalf of the Crown.

• The claims agent responsible for managing claims for the Department of Justice and Community Safety manages claims by volunteers under the following Acts:
• – Victorian State Emergency Services Act 1987 (applies to registered and casual emergency workers)
• – Juries Act 2000 (applies to jurors), and
• – Emergency Management Act 1986 (applies to casual emergency workers).
• The agent responsible for managing claims for the Department of Education manages claims by volunteers under the Education Training and Reform Act 2006 (applies to volunteer school workers or volunteer student workers).
• Work Safe Victoria is reimbursed from the Consolidated Fund for any compensation payments made and the costs and expenses associated with administering these claims.

Under certain Acts, volunteers assisting Government Agencies are entitled to compensation in accordance with the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013 if injured while carrying out specified duties.

• Nominated volunteers specified under various pieces of legislation set out below. The term ‘volunteers’ includes people assisting government agents. Volunteers are not workers unless deemed so and are not entitled to compensation unless specified in one of the Acts of Parliament named.
• Workers assigned to emergency organisations by their employers as part of their contract of service remain workers of the employer. They will only be entitled to compensation as volunteers if they are covered by the aforementioned Acts.
• While carrying out the relevant duties volunteers in prisons and offenders working or participating in a correctional order or diversion program are entitled to compensation for personal injury if it would be payable under the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013 if they were a worker employed by the Crown and the personal injury had arisen out of or in the course of employment.

Not known

The aforementioned Acts provide that volunteers and other persons assisting government agencies are entitled to compensation if injured while carrying out relevant duties. Go to Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents.