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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-11-18 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Police Workers Compensation

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): My question is to the Minister for Police. Why won't the government give police officers the workers compensation scheme that they deserve?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kavel is called to order. He will not interrupt the Deputy Premier.

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (14:07): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will leave aside the question of the niceties about matters being in the other chamber. Let's actually examine what's happening here and what has happened. Just over 12 months ago, this parliament passed legislation to create the Return to Work Act. That legislation resulted from a policy that the Premier took to the people of South Australia at the election in March 2014, so it is an election commitment.

I have to say that, to the credit of the Leader of the Opposition—and, indeed, it is credit that the government has publicly acknowledged and it is credit that he has publicly claimed, and rightly so—it was supported by the opposition. That legislation replaced legislation that everybody agreed was not delivering proper outcomes for injured people. It was not delivering proper outcomes for injured people for a range of reasons.

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call to order the member for Hartley.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Most importantly, it was a scheme that did not have adequate focus on the health and safety of employees or workers. It didn't pay sufficient attention to getting them back to the workplace early so that they could have the best opportunity of an effective recovery and return to work, and it had failed a great many people for many, many years.

That scheme was replaced, with the support of the opposition, by a new scheme. That new scheme came into operation on 1 July, some few months ago. There is actually a passage in the legislation that says that that scheme would be the subject of a review after two or three years of operation in order for us to be able to look at the scheme as a mature, functional scheme—

Mr Gardner: We’re helping to speed up the process.

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is called to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —and see what elements of the scheme were in need of improvement, if any were, and to see whether any changes were needed to be made. In the context of that, I can tell—

Dr McFetridge: Why wait?

The SPEAKER: The member for Morphett is called to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —the parliament that there were a great many groups and individuals, employers and employees alike, that spoke with me in the lead-up to the preparation of that election commitment being delivered. My recollection is PASA did come to see me about this matter very late in the piece. If I am not mistaken, it was at a point in time when the legislation was already in the Legislative Council; that shows you how late in the piece it was. They raised a number of issues. I asked some of my staff to speak to members of PASA executive; they did. I forwarded a letter to them inviting them to come forward with any suggestions and whatever about how things might be improved.

Then a few months ago it became clear that something was brewing between the Hon. Robert Brokenshire and PASA. They had decided that they had a better way to proceed with the matter, which didn't involve sitting down around a table with me or with the Minister for Police or with the Treasurer; it involved them going through a particular campaign. Of course, they pressed the go button on this campaign, coordinated with the Hon. Robert Brokenshire, about three or four weeks ago. From that point onwards, PASA—and I make a point here: there is a great distinction between PASA and police officers in this respect.

The SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired. The deputy leader.

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