WorkCover and Workplace Injury Lawyer in Cairns

About Our Cairns Office

Our Cairns office is a serviced office in the heritage-listed Boland's Centre at 14 Spence Street, Cairns City, on the corner of Lake Street. Principal lawyer Viktoria Teed meets clients here by appointment only, so please call 1300 390 394 to book. If you would rather not drive into the CBD, TransLink's Sunbus services run through the Lake Street bus terminal, between Shields and Aplin streets, about 400 metres along Lake Street from the office.

You do not have to come into the city at all. You can speak with Viktoria by phone or meet by video, and if your injury means you cannot travel, she can visit you at home or in hospital.

Local Industries & Workplace Risks

Health care and social assistance is the largest employing industry in the Cairns region. Jobs and Skills Australia's April 2026 industry profile puts it at about 30,100 of the roughly 137,500 people employed in the Cairns Employment Region, ahead of Accommodation and Food Services, Public Administration and Safety, Construction, and Education and Training. Together those five industries account for 58% of local jobs.

Cairns Regional Council also lists aviation, marine and defence, manufacturing and tourism among the city's key industries. South of the city, sugarcane is the main land use around Gordonvale, where the Mulgrave sugar mill has operated since 1896.

Common Workplace Injuries in Cairns

Injuries in these industries tend to follow the physical and mental demands of the work:

• Moving patients and residents in hospitals and aged care can cause back and shoulder injuries.
• Occupational violence and traumatic events in health, policing and emergency work can lead to psychological injury.
• Housekeeping, kitchen and deck work in hospitality and tourism can involve slips, burns and repetitive strain.
• Falls and machinery incidents on building sites, at the port and around the mill can cause knee or head injuries (see our construction injury guide).
• Road crashes while driving for work, or travelling between home and work, can be covered by WorkCover (with some exceptions), and a CTP claim may also be relevant, for example for whiplash.

Local Medical & Legal Resources

• Cairns Hospital, 165–171 Esplanade, Cairns – the region's main emergency department. Atherton, Mareeba, Innisfail and Tully hospitals and the Mossman and Babinda multi-purpose health centres also provide emergency care.
• Cairns Magistrates Court, ground floor, 5D Sheridan Street, Cairns.
• WorkCover Queensland – the State's workers' compensation insurer. If your employer is a licensed self-insurer, your application goes to that employer instead.
• Workplace Health and Safety Queensland – workplace safety concerns and incident notifications, through WorkSafe Queensland on 1300 362 128.
• Workers' Compensation Regulator – reviews insurer decisions; an application for review is generally due within 3 months of receiving the written decision.
• Queensland Industrial Relations Commission – hears most appeals against review decisions; some go to an industrial magistrate.