Keywords: Workers' compensation, Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, medico-legal report, section 556, self-represented litigant, procedural powers, Brisbane City Council, workplace injury
By Honest Grace Legal | Workers’ Compensation Law | July 2025
Subject
Request Denied: Self-Represented Appellant Fails to Compel Regulator to Fund Medico-Legal Report
What Happened
Anthony Malone, a former Brisbane City Council bus driver, filed an appeal challenging a decision by the Workers’ Compensation Regulator regarding a shoulder injury which he claimed was caused or aggravated by his employment. As part of his efforts to support the appeal, Mr. Malone sought to obtain an independent medical report but faced financial and procedural barriers, particularly due to being self-represented. He applied to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission ‘QIRC’ for an order requiring the Regulator to arrange and pay for such report.
Key Legal Issues
- Whether the Commission has power under section 556 of the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld) to compel the Regulator to arrange or pay for a medical report at the request of a worker.
- Whether the existing evidence and circumstances justified intervention by the Commission to assist the appellant.
What the Court Decided
The Commission dismissed Mr. Malone’s application. It held that section 556 only empowers the Commission to order a claimant or worker to undergo a medical examination - not to require the Regulator to fund or arrange such an examination at the worker’s request. The power to allocate costs under section 556 is incidental to the Commission’s own exercise of power to order the examination - not an independent ground for directing the Regulator to act.
Key Findings
- Section 556(2) authorises the Commission to order a claimant or worker to attend an exam—but not to require the Regulator to act on a claimant’s behalf.
- Mr. Malone had already been seen by two other orthopaedic surgeons; one declined to provide a report and the other suggested that a report may not assist him.
- Being self-represented, though challenging, does not automatically entitle a party to Commission-assisted evidence gathering.
- Mr. Malone, as a former legal practitioner, had options available (e.g., attendance notices) to compel those specialists to testify, even without written reports.
Outcome
Mr. Malone’s application was dismissed, with the Commission declining to intervene or require the Regulator to fund or facilitate a fourth medical opinion. The appeal process can still proceed based on existing or further evidence Mr. Malone may independently secure.
Why This Case Matters
This decision affirms the limited scope of section 556 and clarifies that the QIRC cannot force the Regulator to obtain or pay for medico-legal reports on behalf of a claimant. It underscores the principle that workers must independently secure evidence in support of their appeals, even if self-represented. The case also demonstrates that being self-represented does not exempt appellants from standard procedural obligations, though avenues like subpoenas remain available.