Changes to the Return to Work Regulations 2024

Amendments to the Return to Work Regulations 1986 were made on 11 June 2024 as notified in the Northern Territory Government Gazette No. S49.

Definition of first responder.

The definition of first responder has been amended to include correctional officers as defined under section 4 of the Correctional  Services Act 2014.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prescribed disease in Schedule 2 of the Regulations for all work as a first responder.  .

This amendment will mean correctional officers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will no longer have the burden to prove their PTSD arose out of or in the course of their employment.

Prescribed diseases and qualifying periods: firefighters

Regulation 5B has been amended to include seven additions to the presumptive diseases for firefighters, taking the total to 23 and identifying the qualifying periods required. The qualifying periods prescribed indicate the minimum number of years that a worker needs to have been employed as an active firefighter to be captured by this amendment.