Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-05-16 Daily Xml

Contents

Workers Compensation

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:51): I seek leave to make a brief explanation prior to directing a question to the Minister for Police on the subject of workers compensation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Recently, senior officers of the Department for Correctional Services gave evidence indicating that, as a result of a recent actuarial review of workers compensation management within Correctional Services in the period up to 2015-16, their management was such that the overall claims costs, and costs of managing that, could be reduced by $2.5 million.

Appropriately, in response to that from the budget year 2015-16 onwards, Treasury reduced the workers compensation appropriation to Correctional Services by $2.5 million in acknowledgment of the actuarial review. My question to the minister is: was a similar acknowledgment of good performance by SAPOL in relation to workers compensation management included in the 2016-17 budget and was there also a reduction in workers compensation costs, as acknowledged by Treasury and SAPOL, for the 2016-17 budget and for the forward estimate years as a result of an actuarial review? If yes, what was the extent of that reduction?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:52): I thank the honourable member for his questions. They are not numbers that I am able to recall off the top of my head or have available to me at hand, but I am more than happy to seek advice regarding those questions and bring the relevant information to the member's attention.