Page 4878 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 27 November 2018
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As the minister has noted, these improvements will hopefully translate into improved health and return to work outcomes for injured ACT public sector workers, as well as reduced costs for the ACT government and economic benefits for the ACT community. These are outcomes that the Greens support. We are pleased to support the bill today.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Disability, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Government Services and Procurement, Minister for Urban Renewal) (4.43), in reply: ACT public servants deserve a robust workers compensation scheme that will support them if they are injured or suffer from a disease as a result of their work. I am pleased to see the support of everyone in the Assembly for that proposition and this bill.
On 4 June 2017, following extensive consultation with staff and union representatives about how to improve injury management performance, the ACT government announced that it would seek to become a licensed self-insurer within the Comcare scheme. While the territory will be changing the mechanism through which workers compensation is delivered to ACT public sector workers, it is important to remember that there will be no change to the type or amount of compensation available to people who are injured because of their employment.
In considering our self-insurance application the licensing authority will seek to assure itself that the territory will apply proper prudential governance for the management of its workers compensation assets and liabilities. This bill provides legislative infrastructure for that purpose. It will provide a high degree of transparency and oversight of our workers compensation operations. The bill is therefore an important step in implementing the necessary governance and self-insurance arrangements to ensure that we are providing our workers with a robust approach to workers compensation.
I thank members of the Assembly for supporting the bill. I note that the unions to be represented in the governance arrangements do actually represent the workers who are directly affected by public sector workers compensation arrangements. It is appropriate that workers are indeed represented in those governance arrangements and that their interests are independently advocated for. As always, I thank the scrutiny committee for its consideration of the bill. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Discrimination Amendment Bill 2018
Debate resumed from 1 November 2018, on motion by Mr Barr and Mr Rattenbury:
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