The State’s new Personal Injury Commission officially began its work this week (1 March) with a Ceremonial Sitting opening it as a tribunal.
Attorney General Mark Speakman said the Ceremonial Sitting marked the official transition from the functions of the Workers Compensation Commission and the State Insurance Regulatory Authority’s Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), Motor Accidents Claims Assessment (CARS) and Motor Accidents Medical Assessment Service (MAS) to the Personal Injury Commission.
“The last thing injured workers need is to be burdened with unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy,” Mr Speakman said.
“The Personal Injury Commission will harmonise processes for thousands of claimants each year, saving them time and giving them better access to dispute resolution,” he said.
Mr Speakman said the reforms didn’t change the compensation, benefits and entitlements in the original workers compensation and Compulsory Third Party (CTP) schemes, which would ensure minimal impact to insurance premiums and offer certainty with business continuity.
Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello said the Personal Injury Commission merged the dispute resolution processes of the workers compensation and CTP insurance schemes into a single, independent tribunal.
“The tribunal puts injured people at the centre of the insurance dispute process and will provide claimants with a one-stop shop for assistance,” Mr Dominello said.
“This significant milestone follows extensive consultation with the community and industry stakeholders since 2017, and the passing of legislation last year,” he said.
