Glimmer of hope in workers compensation via icare stand-off

Under the new compromise proposal, there will be a gradual increase in WPI thresholds while the chief psychiatrist works on a new measurement tool. The first increase will start at 25 percent on July 1, 2026, and the second and third increases will be 27 percent on July 1, 2027 and 28 percent on July 1, 2029. This rate is lower than the 31 percent proposed in the bill.

Cross-raters said the system was increasingly falling into deficit as government funds were diverted from infrastructure and services to prop up the broken system.

“We recognize there are challenges in balancing the needs of injured workers with the needs of businesses and non-governmental organisations, but we also know that the status quo is not sustainable. It is parliament’s duty to find solutions that ensure NSW has a strong and sustainable safety net for injured workers.”

reporter accepts. It’s not sustainable for Labor to stick to its guns on a bill that goes nowhere, and it’s absurd for the Liberals to push through with much-needed reforms in their entirety.

While it is regrettable that more comprehensive reforms to the plan are a few years away, some change is better than nothing.