Check whether a Queensland employer must appoint a rehabilitation coordinator
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- Set out the sections 226 to 228 duties and the WorkSafe wages test against the wage figures the lawyer supplies.
- What the lawyer must review
- You check the current regulation and the high-risk industry list before you advise
- Use 5,200 times QOTE, or 2,600 times QOTE in a listed high-risk industry, as the WorkSafe page does
- Use the page's QOTE of $1,994.50 for 2026 to 2027, and do the multiplication the page directs
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. Queensland employers under the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003. The wages test is on the WorkSafe page until the lawyer checks the regulation.
Produce. A duty checklist and a wages comparison using figures the lawyer supplies and multiplies.
Have ready. Queensland wages for the preceding financial year; Whether the lawyer has checked the high-risk industry list; The date the workplace was established or workers were first employed.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The draft multiplies a wage figure by 5,200 and calls the employer obliged to appoint. The lawyer has not yet checked the regulation or the industry list. The lawyer does that check before any advice goes out.
Stop and hand it back when
- The wages figure is not one the lawyer supplied.
- The output treats the WorkSafe page as the text of the regulation.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Do not begin AI assistance until the responsible lawyer has defined and confirmed its permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Section 226: an employer who meets criteria prescribed under a regulation must appoint a rehabilitation and return to work coordinator. The coordinator must be in Queensland and employed under a contract, whether or not it is a contract of service.
- Unless there is a reasonable excuse, the appointment is within six months of establishing a workplace or starting to employ workers there, or a later period the Regulator approves. Prescribed details go to the insurer within 12 months of the appointment, and a change is notified within 12 months of the change. The maximum penalty on those duties is 50 penalty units.
- Section 227: the same employer must have workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures on the same six-month timing, and must review them at least every three years. Section 228: during the prescribed period the employer takes the action the scheme directions require, takes all other reasonable steps, and cooperates with the insurer under section 220. If suitable duties are not practicable, the employer gives the insurer a written notice stating the evidence.
- The Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Regulation 2025 was not opened. WorkSafe's employer page states the test as annual Queensland wages for the preceding financial year of 5,200 times QOTE, or a high-risk industry with wages of 2,600 times QOTE. The page then says to multiply the most current QOTE by 5,200, and the previous financial year's QOTE by 2,600. The lawyer checks the regulation and the high-risk list. The QOTE Notice 2026 sets QOTE for 2026 to 2027 at $1,994.50.
Sources
- Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld), sections 226 to 228 · 2026-10-23
- WorkSafe Queensland: employer rehabilitation obligations · 2026-10-23
- Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation (QOTE) Notice 2026 · 2026-10-23
The same WorkSafe page says an employer must not dismiss an injured worker within 12 months of the injury solely or mainly because the worker is not fit for employment in a position, and that rehabilitation documents are not used for a purpose of employment such as discipline. Confirm those limits in the Act before relying on the page.
Section 228 sets a maximum of 500 penalty units for the rehabilitation duty and 100 penalty units for failing to give the suitable-duties notice. Wage figures stay in a firm-controlled tool under Guidance Statement No. 37.