WORKCOVER REVIEW

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) (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Can he say what a great job his predecessor—no, that's not my note!

Will the minister outline the objectives of the independent review on the impact of the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation (Scheme Review) Amendment Act 2008?

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for Gambling) (15:05): I thank the Hon. Mr Holloway for his question, and I will take the opportunity for a brief moment to say what an outstanding job he did as a minister, as leader of the government in this place and as a Labor parliamentarian.

The Hon. Mr Holloway has been a good friend and mentor to me for many years, and I look forward to enjoying his wise counsel in my new position. Some of us might have expected the Hon. Mr Holloway to go on forever, such was the energy and commitment he brought to the position. I certainly wish him well in his continued parliamentary career.

As required under the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Act 2008, the South Australian government has initiated an independent review of the comprehensive reforms to our state's injured workers compensation system. I am pleased to advise that two leading experts, Mr Bill Cossey AM and Mr Chris Latham, have been appointed to conduct this review.

Mr Cossey is a highly respected independent consultant with extensive experience as a former senior executive in the South Australian public sector, and I am sure he would be well known to many honourable members in that capacity. Mr Latham is a senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, with more than 20 years' experience in providing advice on the operation of accident compensation schemes both here in Australia and internationally.

These independent experts are authorised to commission relevant actuarial evaluations and any necessary social and economic impact assessments required to support their work in reviewing the changes to the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Act 2008. A small team from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet will support Mr Cossey and Mr Latham.

The terms of reference for the review are set out in schedule 2 of the amendment act, which would be familiar to honourable members and which requires the independent reviewers to assess (a) the impact of the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation (Scheme Review) Amendment Act 2008 on workers who have suffered compensable disabilities and been affected by the operation of the amending act; (b) the impact of the amending act on levies paid by employers under part 5 of the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1986; and (c) the impact of the amending act on the sufficiency of the compensation fund to meet the liabilities of the WorkCover Corporation of South Australia under the principal act, being the 1986 act.

Members of the public and other interested parties have been invited to provide written submissions to the review team by 4 March 2011 on the impact of the reforms and the goals of providing better support for returning injured workers to work and gradually creating a more affordable and sustainable scheme. This review will help determine if the reforms undertaken are assisting us to achieve this objective.

The review team will provide a final report to me by 24 May this year, and I will provide a copy of the report to both houses by 23 June. All submissions will be publicly available on the 2011 WorkCover Review website at the conclusion of the review. Commercially sensitive information included in any submission can be elected to be kept confidential and all personal details will be omitted before publication.