Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank all members who have participated in the debate on the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Improving the Comcare Scheme) Bill 2015. This bill will ensure that employers have greater responsibility and incentive to provide alternative work arrangements to injured employees. Injured employees will be required to actively participate in their injury management and rehabilitation. When able to do so, employees will have to seek, engage and remain in suitable employment.

The bill also removes perverse incentives to remain on workers compensation for extended periods. To reduce the financial stress of illness and injury and enable early intervention, the scheme will now provide for provisional medical payments of up to $5000 before a claim is determined or, in some cases, even without a claim. The employer will also have immediate rehabilitation responsibilities. Employees will get professional, postinjury attendant care for the first three years of their injury. Uncapped, long-term or lifelong care will be available to catastrophically injured workers after three years. The maximum lump-sum payment amount will be increased from $242,000 to $350,000, and these payments will more accurately be scaled to allow for higher payments for those who need more support.

The bill will ensure that the workers compensation system deals with the employment related injury and disease. The eligibility criteria will better align with the purpose of the workers compensation scheme: namely, to provide compensation for workers who suffer from occupational injury and disease. Comcare will establish schedules that specify the amounts payable for medical treatment, medical reports and legal services obtained by claimants. These changes will deliver a modern workers compensation scheme that meets the needs of today's workforce and is sustainable into the future. People injured in the course of their employment will gain every opportunity to get better and return to work. The government is committed to ensuring that Australian workplaces are safe, flexible and productive and to reducing the risk and impact of and disease. The Comcare scheme is one of the few remaining Australian workers compensation schemes that provides, and will continue to, provide income payments until pension age and lifetime medical and rehabilitation payments.

This bill will ensure that we have a fair and sustainable scheme into the future. The government's reforms will be better for workers by promoting injury prevention, supporting those who are injured to recover and, most importantly, assisting them to get back to work. I commend the legislation to the House.

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