Page 2507 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 9 August 2016
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The suite of reforms arising from the 2012 getting home safely inquiry has been a major success story for government and industry. I recently reported to the Assembly that since the government accepted and began implementing the inquiry recommendations, we have seen an enormous improvement in the prevention and management of injury by the construction industry.
This improvement is made all the more significant by the fact that it has arrested and reversed what has been a deteriorating trend over several years. For example, since 2012-13 the number of lost time injuries in the construction industry has reduced by 34 per cent even though the size of the industry has increased.
The average cost of workers compensation claims in the construction industry has also reduced, which suggests that in addition to preventing injuries the industry is also getting better at helping workers return to duty. This is critically important when you consider that the longer an injured worker remains away from the workplace the greater the likelihood is that they will never return.
These safety improvements are not limited to the construction industry. In the private sector generally the most recent independent actuarial review shows that lost time injury rates are at a 10-year low. These results are extremely promising and suggest that the government’s investment in both public and private sector injury management initiatives is paying real dividends.
Madam Deputy Speaker, the legacy of Mr Fluffy has brought asbestos awareness into the consciousness of every Canberran. In June the ACT government passed legislation to increase compensation payments and streamline access to services for workers suffering from an asbestos-related disease. Previously there was no vehicle for claiming statutory lump sum compensation for asbestos-related diseases. In the absence of statutory lump sum compensation, workers were left to pursue a long and stressful common law process involving court proceedings.
In addition, the very long time lag between the exposure to asbestos and the onset of an asbestos disease has meant that an insurance policy in place at the time of exposure did not often respond to a claim because it would have expired by the time the condition became apparent.
The Workers Compensation Amendment Bill 2016 addressed these issues by creating an asbestos disease statutory lump sum payment and providing for the centralised management of these claims to ensure equitable and timely access to statutory compensation. A key focus in 2016-17 will be bedding down these legislative changes and introducing improved claims management practices and procedures to minimise stress on the worker and their families.
Another major reform in the sector was the legislation to require large territory employers, specifically those who pay more than $200,000 in workers compensation premiums per annum, to adopt and appoint a return-to-work coordinator for their business. This change reflects a modernised approach to the regulation of work injury
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