Compensation for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. It is the part of a claim that is not tied to a dollar loss.
General damages compensate for the injury itself rather than for money lost because of it. In Queensland the amount is fixed by legislation according to the injury scale value assigned to the injury. In New South Wales it is available in a motor accident claim only above the threshold for non threshold injuries, and in a public liability claim it is assessed as a percentage of a most extreme case.