Monday 2 April 2012

Hurt workers and crash victims the losers in WorkSafe cuts

Opinion: The Victorian Government’s plan to divert $471.5 million from the state’s workers’ compensation scheme into general revenue should set alarm bells ringing.

WorkSafe last week announced a six-month loss of $641 million due to exposure to global financial markets.

The legislation needed to facilitate the Government’s raid on WorkSafe finances was introduced to State Parliament on Tuesday, the same day speculation about a possible merger between WorkSafe and the Transport Accident Commission first came to light.

Both these developments, if implemented, have grave implications about access to compensation and support for anyone injured either at work or on Victoria’s roads.
Many Victorians already know how difficult it can be to receive support after a workplace injury and a Government hell-bent on pinching pennies will only make life harder.

Victorians should be disappointed that money intended to help these vulnerable injured workers will be siphoned into general revenue to boost the Government’s bottom line.

The simple fact is employers pay premiums into WorkSafe under the explicit understanding that they are contributing to financial protections for injured Victorians and initiatives to make workplaces safer.

Every day we see workers who are living with the physical and financial pain of workplace accidents and these people need all the support they can get, both from the WorkSafe scheme and the Government that oversees it.

In a two week period in the lead-up to Christmas last year, seven Victorians died at work and over the past six months 10 in every 1000 Victorian suffered workplace injuries.

If the Victorian WorkCover Authority has any money to spare it should be used to support these injured workers and provide additional injury prevention measures.
It isn’t just workers who will receive a raw deal under this flawed policy. Employers too should be concerned about the impact it will have on their premiums down the track.

Victoria needs a strong workers’ compensation scheme and vulnerable workers can ill afford any moves to strip money from WorkSafe.

When the State Parliament votes on the proposed changes over the next few months, I would urge all parliamentarians who value a fair go for workers to stand up for those beliefs.

If wheels are in motion for significant change, the legitimate concerns of Victorians must be heard and the current lack of transparency is particularly worrying.

Marcus Fogarty
For the past 15 years Marcus Fogarty has worked for Slater and Gordon where he is an accredited specialist in personal injury law. He is a Practice Group Leader in the firm’s workers’ compensation practice.

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