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QLD
★ Queensland · workplace

Workplace settlements
in Queensland.

By Reviewed by Abd Shanti, Founder9 min read

A boilermaker who fell at a metal fabrication workshop in 2018, injuring his neck and shoulder, won $256,534.15, most of it for future lost earnings because he could no longer work in his trade. A support worker who said three incidents while caring for young people caused a psychiatric injury claimed $750,000 and lost; the court found any work related worsening had passed.

Facts that decide a workplace claim in Queensland

WorkCover is repaid firstDamages for a work injury are reduced by the workers compensation already paid, which is refunded to WorkCover under s 270 of the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003.Goldthorpe v HJS Store [2025] QDC 209
General damages at workFor work injuries, the court must assess an Injury Scale Value under the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Regulation (s 306O of the Act).Jorgensen v Superior Pak [2025] QDC 204
Psychiatric injuryA claim for psychiatric injury at work fails if the illness is found to come from pre-existing conditions rather than the incidents at work.Hoyes v Wellways Australia [2025] QDC 125
★ QLD · reported workplace outcomes

What Queensland courts have awarded.

Real Queensland decisions and verdicts, each linked to the court record or official report.

  • Jorgensen v Superior Pak Pty Ltd
    District Court of Queensland · 2025
    $256,534.15

    On 13 March 2018 Mr Jorgensen, a qualified boilermaker and welder, was hurt at the defendant’s metal fabrication workshop, injuring his neck and shoulder. He later worked as a groundskeeper at a Mackay caravan park. The court awarded $15,600 in general damages and $200,000 for future economic loss, and deducted $4,682.24 owed to WorkCover.

  • Hoyes v Wellways Australia Limited
    District Court of Queensland · 2025
    Claim dismissed

    Ms Hoyes worked from July 2018 to January 2020 as a live in support worker for young people with mental health issues or disability. She claimed $750,000 for a psychiatric injury after three incidents at work. The court dismissed the claim, finding she had pre-existing psychiatric conditions; it assessed her damages, had she won, at $70,524.50.

★ QLD · workplace · in practice

What changes the number here.

What actually moves a workplace settlement in Queensland.

  1. 1

    Lost earning capacity is usually the biggest part of a trade worker’s claim.

  2. 2

    Tell your doctors about any earlier psychological history; it will come out anyway.

  3. 3

    Lodge a WorkCover claim first; a common law claim follows the statutory steps.

★ QLD · statute of limitations
3 years from discoverability

Limitation of Actions Act 1974 (Qld)

★ QLD · fault rule
Common-law contributory reduction

Contributory-negligence reduction under Civil Liability Act 2003 (Qld).

★ QLD · caps

What caps recovery.

Statutory caps that may bear on a workplace settlement in Queensland.

★ workplace · same region & fault regime

Compare to like jurisdictions.

How Queensland's fault rule and limitation period compare to jurisdictions in the same Australia region and to those running the same fault rule for workplace claims.

JurisdictionFault ruleLimitationWorkplace page
Queensland · you are hereCommon-law contributory reduction3 years from discoverability—
TasmaniaCommon-law contributory reduction3 years from discoverabilityTAS · workplace
Australian Capital TerritoryCommon-law contributory reduction3 years from discoverabilityACT · workplace
New South WalesCommon-law contributory reduction3 years from discoverabilityNSW · workplace →
VictoriaCommon-law contributory reduction3 years from discoverability (subject to 12-year longstop)VIC · workplace →
Western AustraliaCommon-law contributory reduction3 years from discoverability with 12-year longstopWA · workplace →
South AustraliaCommon-law contributory reduction3 years from discoverabilitySA · workplace →
Northern TerritoryNo-fault statutory scheme3 yearsNT · workplace
★ QLD · workplace · frequently asked

Common questions.

Each answer is independently coherent and references the relevant statute or authority document.

Sources

Checked 2026-09-30.

★ all of QLD
Queensland overview

Fault rule, statute, caps, and key facts for Queensland as a whole.

★ national frame
Workplace in Australia

Workplace band structure and severity tiers at the Australia level.

★ all 15 countries
Workplace · everywhere

Cross-jurisdiction comparison of workplace bands.

★ editorial note

Figures on this page are not quotes for any specific case. For representation, consult a lawyer licensed in Queensland. See /methodology, /sources, and /disclaimer.