Page 946 - Week 03 - Thursday, 10 April 2014
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Such an overlap would ultimately be borne twice by Canberrans who would be required to pay the compulsory cost of both compulsory third-party premiums and also the levy under the lifetime care and support scheme. The levy for the scheme will be set by the lifetime care and support commissioner, based on actuarial advice, in accordance with the bill.
As the Treasurer has previously indicated, the levy currently is estimated to be an annual premium of approximately $34. This is based on an estimated average number of participants and an average cost of claim for each participant. However, given the small exposure that we are talking about in the ACT and the nature of injuries covered by the scheme, it is likely that the actual experience will fluctuate from year to year.
I am sure that members of the Assembly would agree that it would not be palatable for the new bill to apply a levy, in addition to the existing CTP premium paid by Canberra drivers, which did not seek to remove the overlap in risk and potential duplication in cost between the two schemes. This is particularly so given the benefits I have already highlighted and that the new scheme affords catastrophically injured persons.
As members of the Assembly will be aware, the lifetime care and support scheme established under this bill will meet the ACT’s responsibility to implement a national injury insurance scheme as part of the rollout of the national disability insurance scheme. I understand that generally there may be some confusion about how these two national schemes interrelate and questions about forum shopping between the two schemes.
While the schemes will operate side by side, it will be the primary responsibility of the lifetime care and support scheme to respond to the treatment and carer needs of those who are catastrophically injured. In particular, the lifetime care and support scheme will provide for the injured person’s medical treatment and rehabilitation services, which will not be part of the NDIS. In addition, the maximum age limit of 65 years for the NDIS will not apply to the lifetime care and support scheme. So there is no question that for someone catastrophically injured this is the best scheme for them.
The benefits that will be offered under the proposed lifetime care scheme are clear and will meet the ongoing needs of participants for their lifetime, giving those catastrophically injured in a motor vehicle accident certainty of their long-term reasonable and necessary treatment and care.
I commend the bill to the Assembly.
MR BARR: (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for Tourism and Events and Minister for Community Services) (11.53), in reply: I thank members for their contribution to the debate this morning. The lifetime care and support scheme to be established under this bill is part of the recent national developments in response to the Productivity Commission’s report into disability care and support, which was published on 31 July 2011.
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