National Disability Services (WA), representing more than 100 disability service organisations including Good Samaritan Industries (GSI), applauds the State Government on reports that a No-Fault Insurance Scheme will be included in the upcoming 2015 State Budget. GSI is an agency of the Uniting Church in WA.
NDS has campaigned strongly for a fairer insurance scheme in WA which will cover all people catastrophically injured in a vehicle accident regardless of who is at fault.
According to Insurance Commission of WA figures, an average of 92 people are catastrophically injured on WA roads each year, including 44 people who are deemed ‘not compensable’ because no one is to blame for their accident.
The decision to implement a No-Fault Insurance scheme will ensure those 44 people are compensated for the cost of their lifelong care, bringing WA into line with the rest of Australia and correcting the serious injustice where those with catastrophic injury are divided into two camps: compensable and not compensable.
Public submissions to a Green Paper released by the Insurance Commission outlining three different insurance models revealed strong community support for ‘option 2’.
NDS WA State Manager Julie Waylen said while the State Government was to be congratulated for supporting a No-Fault Insurance Scheme, it was now vital to implement the best model possible.
‘’We are pleased to hear reports that No-Fault Insurance will be included in the Budget but there are still a lot of issues to work through,’’ she said.
‘’We need clarification on which model will be adopted because the detail is still unknown. We believe ‘option 2’ will deliver the best lifelong outcome for people with catastrophic injuries because it compensates everyone irrespective of fault and removes the need for a legal process for care and support.
‘’We look forward to working with the State Government and the Insurance Commission on what will be a great opportunity to get the best scheme possible. The model must outline a clear lifelong care and rehabilitation pathway, case co-ordination from the time of injury and timely financial support.’’
‘’A serious injury can happen to anyone in the blink of an eye. We know that the proposed $100 a year to fund this scheme is far preferable to having to sell your house or farm and incur the lifelong costs of caring for a catastrophically injured family member.’’