Workers Compensation

The Greens (WA) believe that workplace health and safety are critical workplace issues. The prevention of injuries and disease at work is of vital importance to workers and employers. The Greens (WA) believe that every worker has a right to a safe and healthy workplace and that all workers should expect to return home from work safe and well.

The Greens (WA) recognise that workers compensation matters are an integral part of maintaining the health and safety of workers. Maintaining a fair, balanced and holistic approach to workers compensation is beneficial to both worker health and employer efficiency. 

Goals

The Greens (WA) want a workers compensation system which is: 

• fair, balanced and efficient and which provides reasonable levels of income maintenance, medical and rehabilitation coverage and other benefits for workers
• paid for by reasonable levels of employer premiums which take into account employer performance in providing a safe place of work and return to work programs for workers
• consistent with and which integrates best practice in occupational health and safety
• promotes and improves the rehabilitation and return to work of injured workers
• provides for the timely, efficient and cheap resolution of disputes
• provides for the regular input of stakeholders. 

Initiatives

The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that: 

• protect workers from financial hardship arising from accident, injury and disease caused or contributed to by work, by evaluation and revision of the levels of weekly payments (twice average weekly earnings) and current step-down of weekly benefits at 13 weeks.
• develop schemes which provide for general workplace wellness, which involve co-operation and financial support from Government, WorkCover, insurers and employers
• provide support for employers who adopt best practice in workplace health and safety
• provide support for employers who put in place appropriate injury management policies and procedures
• increase employment protection for injured workers and facilitate their return to work
• ensure retraining entitlements are more accessible for injured workers
• reduce bureaucratic procedures in dispute resolution, premium setting and compliance
• ensure that fraud, over-servicing and under declaration for premium assessment is minimised
• encourage, support and fund research into workplace safety and workers compensation matters and foster the alliance of research institutions and stakeholders for this purpose
• ensure reasonable access to common law entitlements, including an evaluation of the impact of impairment assessments, and a revision of common law gateways
• remove any age discriminatory provisions in the workers compensation legislation
• provide for the regular review of the workers compensation system, including the budget and priorities of WorkCover WA, in a manner which allows for the participation of all stakeholders.

Background

Western Australia has seen a number of changes to workers compensation laws in the last 15 years. The Court Coalition Government introduced significant amendments in 1993 aimed at reducing common law claims, but this resulted in increased costs and an increase in claims. The government was required to make more changes in 1999 to decrease costs, but still  a number of problems remained. The ALP Government introduced further reforms in 2004/05, including a new dispute resolution system; revision of the common law gateways and introduction of impairment based systems for assessment of permanent loss of function; increased provision for medical and rehabilitation expenses, worker retraining and injury management; and changes to employment protection provisions for workers.

The Greens (WA) believe that the Court Coalition and the Gallop/Carpenter Labor workers compensation amendments have not provided a fair, balanced or efficient workers compensation system. In particular the Greens (WA) believe that the current system does not provide the right balance between the statutory scheme and access to common law; does not provide adequate levels of weekly payments or adequate employment protection; and that there should be better access to re-training for injured workers.