Shadow Minister for theCentral Coast, David Harris, has claimed 265 injured workers from the Central Coast could be cut off from the State’s workers compensation scheme by the end of the year, with the agency responsible for the program, iCare, embroiled in an $80M underpayment scandal.
Harris said removing income support from hundreds of sick and injured workers would hit the region hard. “Sick and injured workers spend their money locally,” he said. “If they lose income support, Central Coast small businesses lose customers.
“We’re living through a recession and slashing the income of 265 workers will make a tough time even worse.” Shadow Minister for Finance and Small Business Daniel Mookhey said iCare faced accusations of serious mismanagement and unethical practices.
“The workers compensation regime is a cruel system that’s been incompetently administered,” he said. Mookhey said iCare, established in 2015, had underpaid more than 50,000 injured workers up to $80M and breached the law in 54 per cent of claims it handled, according to an independent review.
NSW Labor has called on State Treasurer Dominic Perrottet to step aside and for a full independent inquiry. But Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said Labor left the state’s workers compensation system in a mess, facing a $4B deficit, jeopardising care for injured workers and leaving employers facing significant premium hikes.
“In 2015 the NSW Liberal Government made a difficult but necessary decision to modernise the workers compensation system,” Crouch said. “The Government has prioritised keeping a fair balance between providing for injured workers and keeping insurance premiums low. “This is critical for businesses struggling to survive through COVID-19.
“The Government will continue to make improvements to the workers compensation system and address shortcomings, as we strive to get the best result for around 3.6 million employees and more than 325,000 businesses and Government agencies in NSW.”
Terry Collins