Recognising this issue, members of the Labor, Liberal and Greens parties combined to sponsor the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Bill 2011, allowing firefighters who had contracted certain work-related cancers to access workers’ compensation without having to prove the link between firefighting and their illness.

The Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee began an inquiry into the bill in July 2011, taking evidence from Australian and Canadian firefighters, unions, lawyers and government officials.

Its report, recommending that amendments be made to include a larger range of cancers than initially proposed, was praised by the United Firefighters Union of Australia for its ‘due diligence for the application of presumptive legislation’.

These amendments were made and the bill was unanimously passed into law. All states and territories have followed suit, passing presumptive legislation for firefighters’ compensation.

Firefighter from ACT Fire & Rescue

The Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Act 2011 simplified access to compensation for firefighters covered by the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988—career firefighters employed by the Commonwealth and its authorities, including ACT Government firefighters.

Firefighter from ACT Fire & Rescue

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