Release of the Accident Compensation Act Review Report
Mr Peter Hanks QC has completed his independent review of the Accident Compensation Act 1985 and associated legislation, and the Minister for WorkCover, the Hon. Tim Holding MP, has released the final report of the review prepared by Mr Hanks.
The review of accident compensation legislation, which commenced in December 2007, was tasked with providing advice and recommendations in relation to:
- the need to provide fair and effective benefit and premium regimes in light of schemes in other jurisdictions and the need to secure positive outcomes for injured workers;
- the fundamental need to protect the operational and financial viability of the scheme;
- identifying and resolving anomalies in the Act and in the operation of the scheme;
- improving employer and employee understanding of the Act; and
- reducing the regulatory and administrative burden on employers, including through improved alignment with other jurisdictions; and improving the usability of the legislation through the removal of inoperative, irrelevant or superfluous provisions.
Mr Hanks consulted widely throughout the review process, received over 150 submissions and engaged in over 100 hours of face-to-face consultation to support the development of his recommendations.
In his final report, Mr Hanks has made over 150 recommendations for the Government to consider.
The Government will need to take advice on the financial and operational viability of the recommendations to ensure Government’s response to the recommendations is fully informed and financially sound, which will take some time.
WorkSafe, as the administrator of the Victorian WorkCover scheme, has been asked to advise on the implementation timeframes associated with the recommendations.
A copy of the Hanks Report, together with a Guide to the Report, can be requested by contacting (03) 9641 1904. Alternatively, you can download a copy of both documents here:
