A new arbitration service is to be established within the Accident Compensation Conciliation Service to help resolve workers compensation disputes more quickly.
Announced by Minister for Workplace Safety, Ingrid Stitt, the Accident Compensation Conciliation Service is to be rebranded as the Workplace Injury Commission from 1 September, with the new arbitration service to begin operation from the same date.
Ms Stitt said the changes responded to a recommendation from the Victorian Ombudsman to introduce a new dispute resolution process that allowed for inexpensive, timely and binding determinations on merits of claims decisions.
“The service will give injured workers an additional dispute resolution option without the need to go through a long and costly court process,” Ms Stitt said.
“Many injured workers are deterred by the cost, time and complexity of court proceedings, making this path to dispute resolution lengthy and stressful,” she said.
“Under the new service, injured workers can choose to have their matter arbitrated by the Workplace Injury Commission if it is not resolved at conciliation.”
Ms Stitt said the service would see hearings start within 30 days of the dispute being referred, so the process could be timely and inexpensive.
She said the Workplace Injury Commission would have powers to make binding determinations on disputes, including compensation for weekly earnings, medical expenses, superannuation payments or interest payable.
