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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-03-03 Daily Xml
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WORKCOVER CORPORATION

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:21): My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Is the government considering removing the provisional liability sections from the WorkCover legislation, and what discussions have taken place with business groups about their concerns with provisional liability?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development) (15:22): I thank the honourable member for his question. He, like everyone in this house, is aware that the government put in place some significant legislative change to WorkCover. We did that for a couple of reasons, not least of which—and I have had this discussion—is that, on anyone's fair assessment, the WorkCover system had failed the people that it was there to support, that is, the workers themselves.

It was never established as a return-to-work system and, to that extent, it let down the people that it was there to support most. So, we have put in place a legislative change that is focusing on transforming that system into a return-to-work system. The legislation has been altered and, at this moment, we are in the process of ensuring that we are able to implement that legislation. A very important part of that is to ensure that we talk to all the people that WorkCover refers to as stakeholders, not least of which is the business community, workers' support groups and, of course, our friends within the trade union movement, and that is what is being done. One of those areas, amongst others, that continues to be under discussion is the provisional liability matter.

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