Competition and Consumer Act 2010

A court must not, in a proceeding to which this Part applies, award personal injury damages for loss of the plaintiff’s capacity to provide gratuitous attendant care services to other persons, except in accordance with this section.

The court must be satisfied that:

prior to his or her loss of capacity to provide the services, the plaintiff had provided the services:

for at least 6 hours per week; and

over a period of at least 6 months; and

the other person would have been entitled, if the plaintiff had died as a result of the contravention of this Act to which the award relates, to recover damages under a law of a State or Territory for loss of the plaintiff’s services.

If the plaintiff would have provided the services during a quarter for which, at the time the award was made, the amount of average weekly earnings was ascertainable, the court must not award as personal injury damages for the services:

if the services would have been provided for at least 40 hours per week—an amount per week that exceeds average weekly earnings for that quarter; and

if the services would have been provided for less than 40 hours per week—an amount per hour that exceeds 1/40 of average weekly earnings for that quarter.

If the plaintiff:

would have provided the services during a quarter for which, at the time the award was made, the amount of average weekly earnings was not ascertainable; or

would have provided the services after the time the award was made;

if the services were provided for at least 40 hours per week—an amount per week that exceeds average weekly earnings for the quarter that, at the time the award was made, was the most recent quarter for which the amount of average weekly earnings was ascertainable; or

if the services were provided for less than 40 hours per week—an amount per hour that exceeds 1/40 of average weekly earnings for that quarter.