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committee report

The committee tabled its report on 19 August 2016. The Bill passed with amendment on 31/8/2016.

View:  Report No. 17, Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation (National Injury Insurance Scheme) Amendment Bill 2016
View:  Government Response
View:  Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation (National Injury Insurance Scheme) Amendment Bill 2016
View:   Explanatory Notes
View:   Minister’s Explanatory Speech

The Bill

On 14 June 2016 the Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Minister for Racing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs introduced the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation (National Injury Insurance Scheme) Amendment Bill 2016 into the Queensland Parliament.  The Bill was referred to the Education, Tourism, Innovation and Small Business Committee on 16 June 2016 for detailed consideration.  

The Explanatory Notes state that:

The purpose of this Bill is to ensure that workers who suffer particular serious personal injuries as a result of work-related events in Queensland, receive necessary and reasonable treatment, care and support payments, regardless of fault.

In 2011, the Productivity Commission recommended a National Injury Insurance Scheme (“NIIS”) alongside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (“NDIS”). The NIIS is intended to establish no-fault lifetime care and support arrangements for persons who sustain serious personal injuries across four main streams: motor vehicle accidents, workplace accidents, medical treatment injury and general (accidents at home and in the community, or assaults).

The Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (the Act) provides the legislative framework for Queensland’s workers’ compensation scheme. The Bill proposes to amend the Act to implement a model for the NIIS for workplace accidents which is consistent with the NIIS for motor vehicle accidents under the National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Act 2016.

• Where certain seriously injured workers can establish that their employer was at fault in relation to their injury, they are able to elect to opt out of treatment, care and support payments and accept an award of treatment, care and support common law damages.
• Seriously injured workers who cannot, or choose not to, opt out of treatment, care and support payments will continue to receive their treatment, care and support services through the workers’ compensation scheme.

Timeline

Submissions closed:                     4:00pm 14 July 2016. Accepted submissions have been published and are available from the 'View Submissions' tab. 
Public departmental briefing:    12:00 – 1:00pm Wednesday 22 June 2016 - briefing program and transcript  
Public hearings:                            9:30am, Monday 18 July 2016 - hearing program and transcript
                                                       2:00 - 3:00pm, Thursday 4 August 2016 -  hearing program and transcript
Report  tabled:                            19 August 2016