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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-10-29 Daily Xml
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WORKCOVER

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:13): My question again is to the same minister. Can the minister point to any initiatives of his government over the last 12 years which have had a significant positive impact upon WorkCover?

Mr Marshall: Give us the short answer.

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:13): Look, the short answer is we do not have long enough within the four minutes that I have. Let's start with the present and work backwards, because that is the easiest place to start. Even as we speak, in another place (assuming they are actually busy) they are working even now on improvements to the WorkCover Corporation legislation. That is happening right here and now, and it is an exciting moment for that, because at the end of that, we will have—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: If the member for Bragg isn't careful I will suspend her for the rest of question time. Deputy Premier.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: At the end of that process, which could be as soon as this afternoon, we will have, for the first time, enshrined in law the fact that we are going to have a commercial board running WorkCover. Let's take a few weeks back behind that.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: That will depend on whether members of the opposition actually support it, as they have indicated they will. We will see. Then, going back only a few weeks ago, the Premier, in the guise of Treasurer, and I signed off on a new code of practice for WorkCover Corporation, with a whole bunch of performance criteria attached to that new code. Absolutely groundbreaking stuff. It has been picked up by the board. It will be picked up by the new board, which will probably be in place.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Mr Speaker: standing order 98, relevance. My question was about any initiative already taken by this government. The answer seems to be prospective, rather than retrospective.

The SPEAKER: I am sure the Deputy Premier—

Mr WILLIAMS: It was about the last 12 years.

The SPEAKER: Yes; I understand what the question was and I will ask the Deputy Premier to be germane to that question.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Just so it is helpful to the member for MacKillop, I am approaching the time tunnel from this end and working back, rather than jumping to the other end and coming back this way, just to explain what I was doing. Anyway, I got to about two weeks ago.

The SPEAKER: Well, you've got two minutes and four seconds to get into the past.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Very well. As I say, about two weeks ago, which is the next milestone, the code of practice came into effect, and that is already making a difference. Going back a little ways before that, there have been significant changes to the management structure within WorkCover. I am now starting to move into the area where my predecessor in supervision, now the health minister, was presiding over the fact that there was a change at the very top inside the corporation. Mr McCarthy came in to bring change into the organisation, and what a magnificent job Mr McCarthy has done, because he has assembled around him a team of the best in Australia, from all over the commonwealth; excellent people, all doing a fantastic job. Also, under my predecessor's tenure, the introduction of another—

The Hon. J.J. Snelling: The risk rating premiums for the—

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Risk rating premiums, but also another competitor within the claims management area—another great initiative.

The Hon. J.J. Snelling: The legal services.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Legal services. Again, the capacity to contract. There is so much of this—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order. The question was: what has occurred that has been a positive impact, not a negative impact?

The SPEAKER: I am very tempted to dispense with the services of the member for Bragg. That point of order had no merit whatsoever. The Deputy Premier.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I think, Mr Speaker, I have got to about 11 months ago.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: That's enough? You've had enough?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: That's enough. Fair enough. They've had enough, Mr Speaker.

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