Opposition criticism of workers' compensation info scheme ill-founded

16/2/94

A planned information campaign to explain changes to the workers' compensation system was non-political, but essential to the Western Australian workforce. 

Labour Relations Minister Graham Kierath today said that Opposition frontbencher Jim McGinty had gone off the rails by accusing the Government of using the campaign to boost its election chances.

"We did not cause these elections," Mr Kierath said.

"The workers' compensation changes were passed by Parliament before Christmas.  From our point of view these elections are a coincidence. Our agenda was in place long before Dr Lawrence decided to turn her back on Western Australia and look for greener pastures."

Mr Kierath said he totally rejected Mr McGinty's accusations.

He said that of the $250,000 being spent on the campaign, more than half was in printed material to explain to workers and employers the changes to the system.  The advertising was a straightforward 'Phone WorkCover for Details' thrust.

The Minister said he was certain the advertising would be declared exempt from any election embargo because it was non-political.

"What Mr McGinty did not know was that 100 per cent of this material and advertising was devised and prepared by the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Commission and its advertising agency and the funding was approved by the Commission,"  Mr Kierath said.

"It is not taxpayers' money, it is Commission money.

"I had nothing to do with it and I resent this Labor leadership reject making irresponsible statements."

Mr Kierath said if the WorkCover information did not go out on schedule, hundreds of thousands of workers, who Mr McGinty purported to represent, would be left unaware of the changes to the system.

It was Labor who had placed parts of the metropolitan area on an election footing, not the ordinary worker affected by WorkCover.

Mr Kierath said he resented the ABC morning program's failure to allow him equal time to rebut Mr McGinty's comments, which included a personal slur.

"The legal fraternity can no longer feed on workers' compensation but I trust that the ABC presenter, lawyer Richard Utting, is not showing any residual bias by refusing me the right to defend myself on his taxpayers' funded broadcasting outfit," the Minister said.

Media contact:  Brian Coulter 222 9595 or 481 2133