Page 5950 - Week 18 - Wednesday, 11 December 1991
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In relation to the employers, the employers have been working with this legislation whilst premiums have come down. Premiums have been plummeting even though this legislation has been in place. So, it is wrong for you to say that the best way to reduce premiums is to go for the victims. It is not the right approach.
The correct approach, and the employers who are represented on the monitoring committee agree with me, is that the matter ought to be dealt with in the context of the development of rehabilitation proposals. Nobody from the Liberal Party is interested in talking about that, because it costs a few dollars. What this is about is developing a list of proposals for rehabilitation, which may include termination, which are supported by everybody, not just by one single group in the Territory.
It is important that we have all of the parties agreeable to the outcome on workers' compensation, because if we do not we develop a formula for more confrontation in the workplace. There is no point in doing that. What we want is a situation where everybody agrees with the outcome. You will not get it with your approach. This is just shoving your particular view down the throats of workers, employees and all of those people who are represented on the monitoring committee, which, clearly, is short-sighted and does not take into account all of the effects of what you have proposed.
It is a short-sighted position. It has been ill thought out. It really does not even take into account the mechanisms that you set up when you were in government for monitoring the situation and developing recommendations for consideration by government.
It might be that some small section of the insurance constituency would be well served or would be satisfied that the Liberal Party is doing something on its behalf by moving these sorts of amendments because it is one of their pets; but it does not serve the ACT well, it does not serve the ACT work force well, and it will not serve the community well if you take this approach of ramming these sorts of changes down the throats of people who are prepared to discuss outcomes which improve the situation.
That has happened because of the review of workers' compensation in the ACT. There has been a significant fall in premiums in the ACT and I suspect that, where there are other efficiencies that can be found, they will be found. I think, Mr Speaker, that Labor can take some credit for some of the falls, at least, because of the introduction of occupational health and safety legislation into the culture. Again I say that ramming these sorts of amendments down the throats of people will not help any of us.
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