Report shows Barry has bungled Workers’ Comp

The O’Farrell Government’s changes to the Workers’ Compensation scheme have stripped workers and their families of vital protections, a report released by Macquarie University has found.

The report shows that over the last year, the costs of injuries have shifted from the government and from employers directly to workers and their families.

Over 60,000 workers lost their entitlements to workplace injury payments when the O’Farrell government, citing cost increases, gutted the system in October 2012.

But the report reveals that the costs of the workers comp system, as well as liability rates, hadn’t increased for a decade before the changes. In fact, they were more stable in NSW than in any other state.

Watch the 7.30 Report story in the plight of injured workers in NSW here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-07/are-workers-compensation-laws-hurting-workers-or/5246942

See the full report here: http://www.unionsnsw.org.au/general-news/workers-compensation-cuts-someone-pay