Australian Athletes Alliance Calls For Workers Compensation Law Revamp

The Australian Athletes Alliance "has called for an overhaul of workplace compensation laws to ensure sporting bodies are legally required to cover players’ injuries," according to Nicola Berkovic of THE AUSTRALIAN. The call came after Medicare "had identified hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims by professional sports players and clubs for ­medical benefits it believes should not have been paid." Australian Athletes Alliance General Secretary Brendan Schwab said that "current workers compensation arrangements in most states excluded athletes." It "was only through players’ collective-bargaining that most employers had agreed to pay for their medical expenses." Schwab said that "many players who had injuries that extended beyond the term of their contract were left without proper compensation." Schwab: "We think the exclusion of athletes from workers compensation should be revoked in all jurisdictions and appropriate statutory schemes can and should be developed" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 7/18).