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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 3441 ..
MR BERRY (continuing):
If there is no need to move to do anything about them, I frankly think this is a good idea, but I want to know what it is going to cost. We are always told that when you want a benefit you have to work out the cost of it. This is a classic example of responding to that call.
MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Business, Tourism and the Arts and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (9.53): Mr Speaker, I never thought I would see the day when I heard somebody from the Labor Party say that if we got an actuarial study back that said the cost was too high we might take a benefit away. We do not know who will form government after 20 October. You may get somebody who chooses to move disallowance to deny workers access to compensation for these three injuries in the table of maims.
Mr Berry said that we should do some work. It is illogical. It is speculation. It is bookmaking with compensation payments to injured workers. You are going to do some work on a scheme that does not exist, using some data that is absolutely vague, because we have never had these three injuries in the table of maims. What are we going to do? We are going to force injured workers to go to common law and fight this out in the courts. That is what this amendment has the potential to do.
What do we say? We say we should put them in the table of maims. Get some data down the track and do an objective assessment when you know what you are talking about. We will oppose the amendment.
Question put:
That Mr Berry's amendment No 3 to Mr Smyth's amendment No 17 be agreed to.
The Assembly voted-
Ayes, 8 Noes, 7 Mr Berry Mr Rugendyke Mrs Burke Mr Smyth Mr Corbell Mr Stanhope Mr Cornwell Mr Stefaniak Mr Hargreaves Ms Tucker Mr Hird Mr Osborne Mr Kaine Mr Quinlan Mr MooreQuestion so resolved in the affirmative.
Amendment agreed to.
Proposed new clause 7A, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 8 to 11, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Proposed new clause 11A.
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