Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-06-24 Daily Xml

Contents

SAMUELL, DR D.

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (14:54): I have a supplementary question. Will the minister also try to get a commitment from WorkCover, since they are so willing to change their policies, that they will also limit the number of independent medical examinations that an injured worker is required to undergo?

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) (14:54): The problem would be that if you do need an expert from interstate because the specialty is so narrow that there is only a handful of people here and that they may therefore be conflicted, because they have already seen the person or in some way they are not available, then it would be dangerous to put a limit on it.

Obviously, I expect that WorkCover will adopt practices to reduce that. Certainly, the measures it has already announced will, I hope, see a reduction in the number of interstate medical examinations. That is the whole point of the exercise, and we would expect to see that happen. Whether putting a cap on it is sensible is another matter but I would certainly expect to see the number of interstate independent medical examinations reduced. That is the whole purpose of the exercise.