Dispute resolution services

Medical Assessment Tribunals

We continue to receive an increased number of Medical Assessment Tribunal (MAT) referrals, with the number of referrals received at 12.4 per cent above the 2024-25 financial year monthly average.

Strategies implemented to manage increased referrals and reduce timeframes have resulted in a 16.2 per cent increase in finalised referrals.

The average duration from date of registration until a tribunal hearing has also reduced to 57.1 business days in 2025-26.

In 2025-26 YTD, 17.7 per cent of referrals were cancelled and returned for insurer action and resubmission as they did not meet mandatory referral requirements as set out in the Medical Assessment Tribunal – Referral Guidelines (PDF, 0.27 MB). In November 2025, improvements were made to the Regulator's online service portals to streamline MAT referrals and support an insurer’s compliance with legislative requirements (section 500A).

Review and appeals

We continue to experience increasing demands for dispute resolution services, with the number of review applications received at 27.1 per cent above the 2024-25 monthly average.

Work has been progressing on several system and process enhancements which has resulted in an increase in reviews finalised (up 3.6 per cent 2025/26 YTD).

The rate of reviews progressing to appeal has increased to 10.2 per cent, reflecting higher numbers of reviews received and finalised. 61.4 per cent of appeals relate to psychological injury claims.

In 2025-26 YTD, nearly 50 per cent of all appeals have self-represented appellants. We are exploring opportunities to better educate self-represented appellants on the appeals process.

Of note Industrial Court decisions have clarified:

• the meaning and operation of s 132A of the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 in respect of applications for permanent impairment assessments and the necessity to determine ‘injury’ (Gay v WCR 2025)
• the interpretation and application of s 3, Schedule 2 Part 1 of the Act relating to workers who may also conduct their own business as a contractor (Baigorri v WCR 2024).