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ARTICLE · 22 JULY 2012

OHS Alert: Inquiry into the NSW workers' compensation scheme

Carroll & O'Dea
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Lawyer told the inquiry that most injured workers preferred returning to work to the idea of obtaining a lump sum.

AustraliaEmployment and HR
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A personal injury lawyer with 23 years' experience has, at the inquiry into the NSW workers' compensation scheme, virtually lampooned claims that WorkCover's $4.1 billion deficit is linked to an "explosion" in damages claims and a lump-sum culture.

Tim Concannon, a NSW Law Society injury compensation committee member and a Carroll and O'Dea partner, told the inquiry this week that the vast majority of injured workers "express an abhorrence" at the idea of obtaining a lump sum instead of returning to work.

He said actuarial assessments that found there was a lump-sum culture appeared to be based on decade-old projections that ignored 2001 amendments to workers' compensation laws that "significantly" removed access to such payouts.

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