Page 2631 - Week 12 - Thursday, 16 November 1989
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be canvassed to an appropriately qualified bar of magistrates specialising in workers compensation law. It is urgent that such moves are made so that an efficient, cost-effective legal system is established in the ACT and not, as exists at present, a congested, expensive process.
A third factor is hospital costs. I mentioned earlier the increased medical charges that exist when a compensable claim is involved. These extra charges are simply unacceptable. How can they be reduced? The hospital system within the ACT, especially concerning compensable claims, must be totally reviewed; $290 more per bed per day is totally beyond belief and must be addressed urgently in a review to find out exactly why these costs are so high and how they can be reduced.
The ACT suffers from a basic lack of specialists, and moves should be made to encourage a greater number of top medical specialists to move to Canberra. All too often when an accident occurs in Canberra the person involved has to be flown or driven by ambulance to Sydney where specialists are available. Those costs are huge, and this is a matter that should also be addressed to relieve ACT employers of the high premium costs they pay at present.
I have also fully supported the establishment of an ACT database so I will move now to the type of legislation that the ACT requires. We are unique within Australia in that our employment situation is different from that of other States. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne and most other major capital cities, which have a much wider employment situation, our employment base is predominantly the building, retail and service industries. For this reason the Government must not blindly follow the other States' legislation.
This piece of legislation must be constructed in such a way as to encompass ACT conditions and needs. This is a great opportunity for the ACT to be innovative and develop a scheme which will be tailored to our situation. The ACT has its own idiosyncrasies which make Canberra different from elsewhere in Australia. For an appropriate piece of legislation to be introduced which will take account of those idiosyncrasies, the industrial relations advisory committee must have appropriate membership and be fully informed of the review of workers compensation by the Office of Industry and Development.
Workers compensation is an important issue for the overall future of ACT industry, and the advisory committee must have appointed members who are experienced and expert in workers compensation. Consultation with the insurance industry, and particularly the Insurance Council of Australia, must take place. Consultation with industrial relations lawyers must take place. Consultation with trade unions and employer groups must also take place.
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