In the ACT Budget last year a total of $400,000 was set aside to undertake a complete review of the ACT Workers Compensation Scheme.
Terms of Reference were established by the Workers Compensation Advisory Committee and the OHS Council and tenders were called in November 2006.
Australian Health and Safety Services in partnership with the Canberra Office of national law firm Dibbs Abbott Stillman and Melbourne based actuarial firm Cumpston Sarjeant successfully tendered for this review and signed a contract with Chief Minister’s Department in late January.
The review will take place over the coming 5 months and as a starting point an issues paper has been developed inviting submissions and discussion from interest groups and individuals throughout the ACT. (See Downloads Page)
This is a critical issue for businesses in the ACT as workers compensation premiums continue to rise and compared to other states and territories place ACT based companies at a significant disadvantage.
Reforms introduced in 2002 do not appear to be having the desired outcomes to the extent predicted and performance of the ACT workers compensation scheme appears to be suffering as a result.