8/6/04
Consumer and Employment Protection Minister John Kobelke has challenged lawyer Paul O'Halloran to identify the doctors he claims are biased in workers' compensation cases.
Mr Kobelke said if Mr O'Halloran wanted to slur doctors, he could not be taken seriously unless he came up with the evidence.
"Is Mr O'Halloran claiming there are corrupt doctors in workers' compensation?" the Minister asked.
"In a radio debate last month, I offered to investigate allegations that there was a so-called 'purple circle' of doctors who did the bidding of insurance companies, but so far Mr O'Halloran had not presented any names.
"Despite Mr O'Halloran's public criticism, he is yet to come through with any evidence."
WorkCover data showed that on average, over the past four years, 77 doctors were used annually on Medical Assessment Panels (MAPs) and a further 18 had been approached but were unavailable to serve.
"If that is a circle of doctors, it is a pretty large circle," Mr Kobelke said.
"It seems his 'purple circle' may be a purple haze, a smoke screen for the fact that Mr O'Halloran doesn't want reform to workers' compensation that delivers a better deal for injured workers.
"At present, some injured workers are dragged through the courts by lawyers only to get a meagre payout and still face a large legal bill."
The Minister said under the reforms, MAPs would no longer be involved in determining access to common law, because the District Court was to have that role.
"The medical assessment for workers to access common law will be carried out by Approved Medical Specialists (AMS)," he said.
"Workers will be able to chose their own AMS from a list of doctors, who have met the training requirements for that role.
"At present, there are no doctors registered as approved medical specialists, so for Mr O'Halloran to claim there is a 'purple circle' in a non-existent group of doctors might be colourful but it is a fanciful falsehood."
Mr Kobelke said doctors and lawyers would be highly valued under the new system, which had been designed to deliver speedier outcomes and more certainty for workers.
"Because about 98 per cent of workers' compensation cases are dealt with in the statutory system, lawyers, who currently only represent injured workers in common law cases, will also be able to represent them should a dispute arise over statutory benefits," he said.
"The Gallop Government will deliver an additional $130million in benefits for injured workers, during the first year of the workers' compensation reforms.
"Anyone interested in looking at summaries and other important explanations of the Bill now before Parliament and the improvements it will make, can log on to a special website at http://www.workerscomp.wa.gov.au
Minister's office: 9222 9211
