Under s 71 of the Return to Work Act 1986 (NT), compensation for permanent impairment is to be assessed on an 'injury by injury' basis, not a 'whole person' basis. Where a worker suffers multiple compensable injuries at different times, the impairment attributable to each injury is assessed and compensated separately, and the Guidelines' requirement to deduct impairment attributable to previous injuries applies to both compensable and non-compensable prior injuries. This means a worker whose total WPI exceeds 15% but whose individual injury assessments each fall below 15% will receive compensation under the less favourable discount table in s 71(3) for each injury, rather than the more favourable rate in s 71(1).
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