WORKCOVER CORPORATION

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (14:56): By way of a supplementary question, will the minister outline for the chamber what improvements, if any, have been made to return-to-work initiatives, and is he aware of any injured workers who have requested retraining for the workplace and have been denied that retraining?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister Assisting the Premier in Public Sector Management) (14:57): Given the number of cases involved in WorkCover, I am sure there will be many instances where allegations will be made—and probably some will be true—in relation to refusals, and the like, for various requests.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: WorkCover has to run its scheme in a way that is consistent with legislative requirements and gets workers back to work as quickly and safely as they possibly can, and protects the viability of the scheme. At the end of the day it is not in the interests of workers, injured or otherwise, to have a workers compensation and rehabilitation scheme that is not financially viable in the long term. In relation to what is happening with the return-to-work scheme, the evidence to date has been that there has been an improvement, which is why the WorkCover board presumably made the decision to reduce the levy. Clearly it would not have done so unless there was some improvement in the scheme.

As I indicated in answer to an earlier question, there will be a comprehensive review of the scheme beginning towards the end of this year, which will enable those factors to be properly examined. I know that a number of new measures were introduced in the legislation in 2008—medical panels and the like. The information I have is that some of the cases now before the tribunal have yet to necessarily set a pattern of behaviour that might allow those decisions to be interpreted. That is evolving as cases come before the relevant tribunals, and that will set the standards. The government will monitor them to see that they are fair to injured workers and that they act within the spirit of the scheme, and that is evolving.

Yes, 18 months have passed since the legislation came in, but some features of it increasingly have been put in place during that period. When we have the review of the scheme beginning later this year we will be able to more accurately estimate the impact of those changes. In the meantime, I will see what information I can get for both honourable members in relation to their specific questions.