Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for her question. She has always taken an interest in people in life who are doing it hard. I think it is important that this House notes that if you are unlucky enough to be injured at work in Australia you had better hope there is a Labor administration in charge of your safety laws and your compensation. Let me use, for example, the case of John.

John works in the Territory at a remote mine site. In November 2009 he was injured in a motor vehicle rollover. He fractured his C2 disc, dislocated C6-C7 in his vertebrae, was airlifted to Darwin, then to Adelaide for immediate surgery. He received rehab after surgery, returned to Darwin and, thankfully, has returned to full-time work with the rehabilitation and support he has received under Comcare. He has received incapacity payments, medical and specialist treatment, surgery, medication, travel by air ambulance, aids and appliances, rehab assistance and physiotherapy. He continues to receive this under a federal Labor government.

He can receive incapacity payments if, despite his best efforts to return to work, he remains unable to return to work in the future due to his injury. He can apply for and, indeed, receive permanent impairment payment. If you have to have an injury, which is bad, at least have it under a Labor government. But there is an obstacle—

Opposition members: This is pathetic.

and if people from the opposition call out 'pathetic', wait till they hear what their New South Wales Liberals are doing. Let us take the real-world case—

Opposition members interjecting—

We don't need to exaggerate. We don't need to make up tall tales. We just tell the truth here.

Opposition members interjecting—

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