A new partnership between Comcare, the Departments of Social Services and Jobs and Small Business and other private and public entities with an interest in workers’ compensation and income support, has released the findings of its first a research project.
The Comcare-founded Collaborative Partnership to Improve Work Participation commissioned Monash University to examine all the major compensation and benefit systems in Australia.
The aim was to identify the flow of people through them, how the systems interacted, and where they could be improved.
It was the first research project of its type.
Chief Executive of Comcare, Jennifer Taylor (pictured) said the research mapped 10 different systems of compensation.
“Researchers considered data and services across the systems that support people to work — workers’ compensation, social security, veterans’ compensation, superannuation, life insurance and motor accident compensation,” Ms Taylor said.
“This gives us a basis for improving Australia’s service delivery model for supporting people with work-related injury or disability in their return to work.”
She said the study found that around 786,000 people who were unable to work due to ill health, injury or disability received some form of income support from a Commonwealth, State, Territory or private source in 2015-16, totalling around $18 billion.
“Potential improvements include information and data sharing to provide greater understanding of the systems of income support,” Ms Taylor said.
“There are also opportunities for better aligning service models, particularly through reforming GP certification and work capacity assessment, to reduce overlap and improve service delivery.”
The partnership is considering the report’s recommendations.
Members of the partnership include the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the Commonwealth Departments of Social Services and Jobs and Small Business, the Insurance Council of Australia, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, insurer EML and experts Lucy Brogden, Chair of the National Mental Health Commission, and Niki Ellis.
