National Return to Work Survey 1. Purpose of the survey Every 2 years, Safe Work Australia (SWA) surveys people who have been injured at work, and have received workers compensation. We also survey their employers. This is called the National Return to Work Survey (Survey). The Survey tells us about the experiences of injured workers and their employers. It helps us to understand the factors impacting on their return to work. We can improve outcomes for people after they’re injured at work using this information.We can only do this with the support of people like you. We acknowledge and value your time and effort spent participating in the Survey. 2. What is the Survey? Workers compensation is handled by various State, Territory and Australian Government authorities. We run the Survey in cooperation with those authorities, and have done so since 2013. We use an external survey provider to undertake the Survey. Before the Survey starts, the survey provider obtains some basic details about workers and employers from the workers compensation authorities. The survey provider uses this information to decide which people to survey, and how to contact them. The survey provider then emails, messages, or calls those people and asks them to participate. 3. Who is collecting my personal information? When you participate in the Survey, you will provide personal information. The survey provider collects that information on our behalf. 4. How is my personal information collected? The main way we survey you is through a secure online questionnaire. Sometimes, the Survey might be undertaken through a telephone interview, which also involves the collection of personal information. 5. What personal information is collected? In the Survey, the survey provider will ask you for information about your work-related injury or illness, or your experience as an employer of a worker who made a workers’ compensation claim. For workers, the information we collect relates to things like your: time off work, compensation and type of injury or illness return to work and current work (if any) treatment by, and the attitudes of, people like your employer and colleagues experience of compensation claim and health care processes demographic information. For employers, the information we collect relates to things like: your perception of the claim and how the injured worker was treated the support or assistance (including financial) you offered to the worker the extent and nature of contact with the injured worker the category of the worker’s injury or illness return to work plan development and return to work your understanding of your role the level of support provided to your workplace demographic information. 6. How is my personal information kept safe? The Privacy Act 1988, including the Australian Privacy Principles, applies to the Survey. That Act governs how agencies like us, and the survey providers we use, handle your personal information. Under its contract with us, the survey provider is not allowed to access, use or disclose your personal information, except to conduct the Survey. The provider must comply with the Australian Privacy Principles and Australian Government security requirements. At the end of the Survey, the survey provider will send all of the Survey information to us. It will not keep a copy. We will store the information in accordance with Australian record keeping laws, and will not use it for any other purpose. 7. How will my personal information be used? The survey provider will use your name, contact information and basic details to decide if you are eligible to take part in the Survey, and to contact you. We will combine the information people provide through the Survey into a de-identified dataset. We use that dataset as the basis of our report and recommendations on workers compensation and return to work. We also use it to prepare data for publication. 8. Who will my information be shared with? The survey provider will not share your personal information or survey responses with anyone except us. We will not disclose your personal information. There are some exceptions to this, for example, where disclosure is required by law. We publish the survey report and aggregate data on our interactive data website www.data.safeworkaustralia.gov.au. Before publication, we carefully prepare the data to make sure it doesn't reveal the identities of participants. 9. What happens if I refuse to complete the Survey? Completing the Survey is optional. There are no consequences for you if you do not complete the Survey. 10. Will SWA disclose my personal information overseas? We will not disclose your personal information to anyone who is overseas, unless you consent. Data on our websites may be accessed by people overseas. We have strict processes to ensure that our websites do not include personal information. 11. Is SWA authorised by law to collect my personal information? We can collect personal information as part of the Survey because this is necessary for us to perform our functions under the Safe Work Australia Act 2008. 12. How do I contact SWA about my personal information? You can contact our Privacy Officer to ask for access to, or the correction of, records containing your personal information. You can also contact the Privacy Officer if you think we may have breached your privacy and would like to make a complaint. Our Privacy Officer can be contacted by: Email: privacy@swa.gov.au, or Post: Privacy Officer, Safe Work Australia, GPO Box 641, Canberra ACT 2601. For more information about how we handle personal information, see our privacy policy. Frequently asked questions 13. When is the survey? The survey will take place across March to June 2025. Results are expected to be published on the Safe Work Australia website in September 2025. 14. How do I complete the survey? You will be sent a link to the survey via email or SMS. This will allow you to complete the survey online. You may also be called by a trained interviewer who will give you the opportunity to complete the survey over the phone. 15. What if I don’t want to participate / be contacted. If you don’t want to participate or be contacted as part of the survey, please send an email to NRTWsurvey@wallis.social 16. Where can I find previous survey reports? The previous Return to Work Survey was conducted in 2021. Results from this survey are published on the Safe Work Australia data website. 17. Who can I contact for more information? For further information, please contact NRTWsurvey@wallis.social Data set Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Latest release This is not the latest release
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