Steve Bracks calls for single national workers’ compensation scheme

Former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks has called for unification of the country’s workers’ compensation schemes, arguing Victoria’s Worksafe model should be adopted nationwide to improve long-term productivity.

Bracks’ call comes as all states except for Western Australia prepare to move to a national harmonised occupational health and safety model from January 2012.

According to The Australian, Bracks says the Victorian scheme – which is funded by employers to provide support for people injured at work – is a “good, long-term policy.”

“It may not benefit every stakeholder involved, but it has a significant economic benefit to the state. That is the message to other governments around the country,” Bracks is quoted saying.

“Forget about tactics; think about the long term; think about the policy that is required for long-term productivity benefits. We don’t have that now, and this is the problem.

The report says there are currently 10 workers’ compensation scheme operating in Australia, and Victoria’s is the second-cheapest. 

Andrew Douglas, of Macpherson + Kelley Lawyers, welcomed the prospect of a national workers’ compensation scheme, saying Australia would likely head that way in a few years when the respective state government can agree, although Victoria’s model is not necessarily a panacea.

“It is a huge impost on business having different schemes,” Douglas says, citing “terrible inconsistencies” across terminations and return to work.

“We really need to rethink workers’ compensation. It’s resource-heavy, because you need state-based knowledge, and you can’t easily move people across states.”

According to Douglas, the Victorian model is not a bad scheme, although the move away from a prescriptive method of return to work has not been a roaring success.

One Western Australian lawyer contacted by SmartCompany questioned the merits of adopting a Victorian system, saying its state laws work quite well.