‘Blood on your hands': Iraq War veteran Richard Hoskins slams Labor's workers' compensation proposals
A war veteran says Labor will have 'blood on their hands' if they go through with workers' compensation proposals set to raise the threshold for payments for psychological illnesses related to the workplace.
Healthcare expert and Iraq War veteran Richard Hoskins said Labor needs to do better.
Mr Hoskins, 60, fought in Iraq but said his experience trying to get compensated for psychological illness has been harder.
'My experience on workers' compensation has caused me more harm than being on the battlefield in Iraq,' Mr Hoskins told NewsWire.
'I was injured 13 years ago and had delays and denials of treatment … during this time the trauma and harassment caused anxiety and depression.
'They made … an offer I feel was pennies on the dollar but their relentless behaviour made me decide to take it and exit workers' compensation earlier this month.
Mr Hoskins condemns the Labor government for the proposed changes, and said the reform would not be effective.
'They are a Labor government and they are supposed to be there for workers,' he said
'It will be blood on their hands.
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Protesters marched to Union NSW to protest Labor's workers' compensation proposals.
Credit: Supplied
'We already have suicides … because of the system and this will just only escalate potentially the amount of suicides that's happening.'
Mr Hoskins said that the proposed changes would be ineffective in meeting the needs of injured workers.
'In New South Wales, you struggle to get mental health care from the public system and by pushing these people onto the … public health system … essentially shifting to Medicare, we're going to create a health system that's even a bigger crisis than it is now,' he said.
'It won't only impact those that are on workers' compensation, it will impact the whole system.'
His remarks come as protesters gathered at Union NSW's International Day of Mourning service to protest the NSW government's proposed changes to workers' compensation.
Karrie Brockavich, one of the protesters, said the changes would mean those most vulnerable in society would lose the little they have.
'We're here at the day of mourning,' she told NewsWire.
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Iraq War veteran Richard Hoskins. Supplied
Credit: Supplied
'Some of the people are mourning from unsafe workplace injuries, physical, and others are mourning through suicidal deaths, through the trauma of the broken workers' compensation system.
'The proposed changes could cause so many more suicides.'
Ms Brockavich accused NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey of being 'about the bottom dollar' despite the real impact.
'I've had my career ruined,' Ms Brockavich said.
'We'll never be employed again and we don't have any compensation for loss of future employment.'
Ms Brockavich will soon be in deep water as her payments are due to stop soon.
'My time is up, I've received a letter that my payments will be stopping shortly,' she said.
'You've got to fight so hard, you're constantly traumatised by the system, which makes you worse than when you first start out.
'There's nowhere for us to go apart from the scrap heap of Centrelink and Medicare.
This comes after Mr Mookhey signalled a radical overhaul of worker's compensation, especially for mental injuries as 'the system is not returning workers to their health and then to work effectively'.
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NSW Greens member Abigail Boyd (centre) with the protesters. Supplied
Credit: Supplied
'It is likely that treating workplace conflict like a physical hazard is exacerbating the problem,' Mr Mookhey said.
'40 per cent of workers with psychological injuries are still languishing in the system after one year off work. Still separated from their workplace. More likely to be socially isolated.
'Predictably, a system which fails to prevent and fails to heal is becoming increasingly expensive.'
Among the key policies being considered is the establishment of a bullying and harassment jurisdiction in the Industrial Relations Commission.
This jurisdiction would allow the IRC to address workplace complaints before compensation claims are lodged.
Labor is also contemplating doubling the psychological impairment threshold required for workers to gain access to lump sum payments – increasing from 15 per cent to 30 per cent.
Although some unions are gearing up to fight Labor, the changes are not supported by industry giants such as Business NSW, and some frontline unions that believe they would be exempt from changes.
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