With two damning reports by the Victorian Ombudsman, WorkSafe Victoria and their greedy Insurer mates still find a way to avoid liability for their crimes – yes, crimes!

I’m owed at least a few years of my wages while fighting the system – and the rest! Having to sell my home and use it as equity to start a new life due to the lack of support and unethical actions by WorkSafe and their Insurers. The Victorian Government also escapes liability by allowing WorkSafe and their insurers to act unethically and by assigning an organisation to pretty much legislate itself.

I was truly ecstatic to read this article and can imagine the relief of NSW injured workers to finally be able to move past the devastating treatment, trauma and hardship behind them… hopefully! This type of unjust treatment leaves a lot more damage than the injuries we endure at work. Unacknowledged as if we were a third world country.

Shameful of Australia… except for NSW!

(NSW insurer icare apologises for underpaying injured workers $38 million by Danuta Kozaki Posted 

The chief executive of the New South Wales government’s troubled insurer, icare, has apologised for underpaying tens of thousands of injured workers to the tune of millions of dollars.

Key points:

  • A total of 53,000 injured workers in NSW were underpaid.
  • icare will repay $38 million to those affected
  • The chief executive of icare has apologised for the errors

A review has revealed that 53,000 injured workers were owed $38 million after they were underpaid between 2012-2019 due to calculation errors.

In a written statement today, icare chief executive Richard Harding said a review found three-and-a-half per cent of compensation recipients had been underpaid, with an average underpayment of $26 a week.

“I would like to offer my sincere apology to any injured worker who has been affected by this calculation error,” he said.

“icare is working closely with the NSW government, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority and employers to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Mr Harding said the review had covered the most financially vulnerable claimants.

“I am pleased that we are now in a position to make this right and get these payments to the injured workers who need them,” he said.

NSW opposition accuses icare of ‘wage theft’

Shadow Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said icare got it wrong and needed to make it right.

“icare’s announcement today is a big step forward for justice for the tens of thousands of sick and injured workers who are the victims of the biggest act of wage theft committed by any Australian government.’ Mr Mookhey said.

He said the matter came down to the detail.

“I pay tribute to Unions NSW and the injured workers network for their years of unstinting effort to expose this wage theft scandal,” he said.

Mr Mookhey said he wanted a guarantee that the insurer would not hike employer premiums to cover the repayments.

icare said the independent review also found that roughly two per cent of injured workers had been overpaid to a similar value.

Mr Harding said those people would not be asked to pay that money back.

It is the latest scandal to hit the state’s workers compensation insurer. A separate parliamentary report tabled earlier this year revealed icare had incurred hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, sparking calls for the resignation of then-NSW treasurer Dominic Perrottet.