Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 03 Hansard (Thursday, 11 March 2004) . . Page.. 1086 ..

Officials have also begun to estimate the cost of administering long-term care to those catastrophically injured in motor accidents or, in some cases, at work, but who cannot prove negligence and therefore remain largely uncompensated outside the welfare or family framework.

The plan is to devise a national framework within which long-term care can be provided efficiently to all people catastrophically injured as a result of motor accidents or at work. While work has been done on this issue, much needs to be done before the concept can be offered to the national community. However, all jurisdictions are committed to proving the concept and, if it is truly feasible once all the implications are known, considered and dealt with, implementing a national framework.

The price of insurance has been of concern to members in this place, particularly public liability insurance. The rate of public liability premium increases has moderated. The ACCC reported that national average premiums in real terms increased by 44 per cent in 2002. For the first six months of 2003 the average premium increased by 4 per cent. The effect of the government’s liability reforms was estimated to provide reductions in claim costs, and therefore premiums, of around 3 per cent. This estimate did not take into account the majority of ACT tort reforms enacted in the latter part of 2003.

However, public liability premiums are expected to rise by 11 per cent on average for 2004. The government has anticipated this. In addition to the government’s indemnity reform legislation, in November last year I launched significant enhancements to Treasury’s online risk planning technology, together with a series of 20 insurance business risk seminars targeting small businesses in the Australian capital region. All seminars were fully subscribed and the 16 seminars held so far have been rated highly by participants. I have instructed my office to continue their community and small business engagement efforts for the remainder of this year and to develop additional policy and strategy options if necessary.

In February this year, I launched the government’s enterprise-wide risk management framework. For the first time in Australia, a fully integrated risk management policy and operational infrastructure will operate across the whole of government.

Availability of affordable insurance was a theme ministers took up in their discussion with insurance company executives. While general insurance products, including public liability, are more available, there are still areas of high cost, low availability public liability insurance that affects those least able to fend for themselves. The insurers agreed that they had a social responsibility to consumers with respect to both the availability and affordability of insurance products and agreed to pass on the dividends they obtained from tort reform. The ACCC advised it would seek additional powers if insurers failed to deliver on their undertakings.

Mr Speaker, the government is not going to relax in light of these small steps forward. While this government has done much for the ACT community sector, it is clear to me, as I have outlined before in this place, that there is still work to be done by all Australian governments. It is for these reasons that the government continues to be a very active participant in ministerial and intergovernmental committees. In this regard, the outcomes

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .