Comcare
Comcare Australia
1992 – present
Previously Commission for the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation of Commonwealth Employees (1988–1992).
Statutory corporation that runs the Comcare scheme: it is the workers' compensation insurer and rehabilitation authority for Commonwealth employees and the regulator of work health and safety in Commonwealth workplaces and those of licensed self-insurers.
Names over time
- Commission for the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation of Commonwealth Employees1988–1992
- Comcare1992–present
How it came into existence
Took its present form in 1992, when amendments to the Commonwealth Employees' Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (since retitled the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988) continued the body corporate established on 1 December 1988 as the Commission for the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation of Commonwealth Employees, already known as Comcare Australia, as the scheme's operating authority, now named Comcare. The same amendments created a separate commission under section 89A to oversee the scheme.
Legislation: Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988; Work Health and Safety Act 2011
Changes during its life
- 1 January 2012Became a regulator under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, which replaced the earlier occupational health and safety legislation for Commonwealth workplaces.
- 1 July 2022Became part of the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio when the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations was established.
Main functions
- Workers' compensation claims management for Commonwealth employees
- Rehabilitation and return-to-work services
- Work health and safety regulation of Commonwealth and self-insured workplaces
- Management of asbestos-related common law claims against the Commonwealth
- Staff and support for the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission and the Seacare Authority
Where it sits
In the portfolio of Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
- Type of body
- Corporate Commonwealth entity
- Portfolio
- Employment and Workplace Relations
- Accountable authority
- Chief Executive Officer – Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 section 76(1) note
- ABN
- 41 640 788 304
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- List of Commonwealth entities and companies under the PGPA Act, 1 July 2026 (Department of Finance)
- Australian Government Organisations Register (Department of Finance, data.gov.au) (listed from 11 December 2014 to the latest release (30 June 2026))
- Amending Act to the Commonwealth Employees' Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988, as made 1992 (Federal Register of Legislation)
Government records and websites
Other sources
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.