Page 4247 - Week 11 - Thursday, 25 October 2018
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fund and the period of time in which the fund must return to an acceptable funding ratio if the fund is in deficit; how premium amounts are to be determined; reporting obligations of the fund, apart from those already covered in the Financial Management Act 1996; and financial and governance requirements that must be met by any contracted claims manager.
The bill will also establish a commissioner who will be responsible for managing the fund and empowered to engage consultants such as an actuary, for the purposes of monitoring the performance of the fund, and a third-party claims manager to manage the territory’s public sector workers compensation claims.
The bill also establishes an advisory committee, made up of members representing the interests of workers as well as the interests of public sector bodies. The functions of the advisory committee are to include advising the minister in relation to the operations of the fund and assisting in meeting the territory’s workers compensation liabilities by providing advice about claims management in relation to injured employees of the territory.
The commencement of the bill has deliberately been delayed in order to have the provisions of the bill commence at the same time as the territory becomes a licensed self-insurer under the SRC Act. It is anticipated that this is likely to occur on 1 March 2019. The exact timing of this will depend on the consideration of the territory’s self-insurer licence application by the SRCC. It is anticipated that this will take place on 28 November 2018.
The ACT government is committed to improving the health and safety of workers in the ACT, including within the public sector. I consider that the territory’s self-insurance arrangements under the Comcare scheme will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the ACT public sector workers compensation claims management processes. Establishing the public sector workers compensation fund and the related governance arrangements provided in the bill is a key step toward the successful implementation of the territory’s self-insurance arrangements. These will in turn provide better return to work outcomes for injured ACTPS workers and their families, reduced costs for the ACT government in managing workers compensation claims and, more broadly, productivity improvements and economic benefits for the ACT community. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Miss C Burch) adjourned to the next sitting.
Annual and financial reports 2017-2018
Reference to standing committees
Motion (by Mr Gentleman) agreed to:
That:
(1) the annual and financial reports for the financial year 2017-2018 and for the calendar year 2017 presented to the Assembly pursuant to the Annual Reports (Government Agencies) Act 2004 stand referred to the standing committees, on presentation, in accordance with the schedule below;
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