Page 3660 - Week 08 - Friday, 24 August 2012
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Despite some of the inflammatory comments of the minister this morning on the radio, if he reads his own report, the 2008 reforms are having some of the effect that the government desired.
This has not been significant to date, but the problem with dealing with insurance and claims issues is that it is often the tail that wags the dog. The easy ones are fixed quite quickly. In a reform of the significance that we had in 2008 it will take a much longer period as the more difficult cases come through the final negotiations, hopefully outside of the court but if they get to court then inside the court.
The reforms that I have put in place and that the Assembly has agreed to this evening will make that process smoother; it will make that process simpler. It will align us with a jurisdiction like Queensland, which was one of the minister’s desires, and it will have better outcomes for the people of the ACT, whether that be cheaper premiums in the long term or fair outcomes for those who are injured in motor vehicle crashes.
I thank members for the way we all worked together tonight. It is probably a nice way to finish the Assembly, in an odd way, that on such a difficult issue it was done quite amicably. I thank the minister, I thank Ms Hunter and I thank you, Mr Speaker, for your forbearance. I would ask that you pass on our thanks to your staff.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Leader, ACT Greens) (6.36): I will be brief in my remarks. This is a complex area. The reality is that we have a certain pool of money. This is about how it gets divided up for those who find themselves in a car accident. We also, of course, have many who, each year, are taken aback by the amount that is being paid in CTP premiums. It really is a balancing act about how we can improve the system and at the same time ensure that we are not stripping away people’s rights to proper compensation. It is a very complex task. I think we have made a bit of progress here today. I would agree that it is not all of what everybody would have hoped for. It is always going to be a balancing act about how much people are prepared to pay versus access to compensation.
I would like to thank my staff for the work that they have done on this issue. I also thank the stakeholders out there in the community that we have spoken to and also directorate officials who have given their time freely to work through these matters. I also thank Mr Smyth’s staff and Mr Barr’s staff. I know that there will be some disappointment all round, but we have made some progress. I think we will be coming back to this issue. Hopefully we will be able to continue to progress this matter.
It is always going to be a balancing act. That is at the heart of this issue. We need to make sure that we give it proper consideration so we do not have the pendulum swing too far one way or the other so that we strip away people’s rights to proper compensation. It is around the issue of how much money we have in the pool and how much people are prepared to pay.
Remainder of bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.
Bill, as amended, agreed to.
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