The unlikely bedfellows as Labor faces showdown on workers' comp laws
The NSW Liberals are in lockstep with unions over Labor's overhaul of workers' compensation laws, refusing to back proposed changes unless the government scraps one of the most controversial aspects of its bill which will see a clamp-down on long-term support for psychological injuries.
The opposition's stance will pave the way for a showdown in NSW parliament this week, with Treasurer Daniel Mookhey insisting a rise in psychological injuries was threatening the financial sustainability of the state's workers' compensation scheme and putting significant strain on the state budget.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman on Tuesday confirmed that the Coalition would oppose Mookhey's compensation bill unless the government agreed to axe a new threshold at which people with a serious psychological injury could receive ongoing support or claim damages.
The increase to the threshold, known as Whole Person Impairment (WPI), was widely criticised in a snap one-day parliamentary inquiry into the compensation changes last month. The hearing was told that only 27 of the hundreds of employees with a workplace psychological injury each year would be eligible to claim long-term benefits under the new thresholds.
With the number of psychological injury claims doubling in the past six years and return-to-work rates falling, the government last week introduced its new laws to parliament to reform compensation for injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The government has already significantly watered down some aspects of its initial reforms, outlined in a draft exposure bill, after they were widely criticised by unions, medical experts and lawyers.
However, Speakman said the changes did not go far enough and the Coalition could not support the bill in its current form because it had been hurriedly prepared with little concern for injured workers.
'The opposition will support the bill, but with sensible amendments,' Speakman said. 'We want a scheme that is sustainable, that is fair to workers, fair to business, but does not unduly punish the most severely injured workers, which is what the Minns Labor government is doing.'
The opposition's treasury spokesman Damien Tudehope said, 'there is not one member of the Coalition who does not support lower premiums for workers' compensation' but the government had rushed its bill without giving enough thought to how best to support both business and workers.
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West Australian
35 minutes ago
- West Australian
Crocodile Hunter's dad fires up over culling proposal
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Perth Now
36 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Crocodile Hunter's dad fires up over culling proposal
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Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Australia's mass migration 'disaster' overwhelming Labor's housing plan, availability going backwards by hundreds of homes every week
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