Question details
WorkSafe Victoria
(1457) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC, and the action I seek is for the minister to fix the serious flaws in Victoria’s WorkCover system and the devastating impact on injured workers and their families. I recently met Byron Foley, a 24-year-old who suffered a catastrophic workplace injury on 13 November 2021, when a steel pipe struck his head. At the time, Byron was a 20-year-old second-year apprentice. He spent over five months in hospital and required surgery to insert a titanium skull. On this day, Byron’s life changed, and his family’s life changed, forever. Byron will never work again. Four years on, Byron and his family are still battling the system they describe as ‘fundamentally broken’. Despite the severity of Byron’s injuries, the Foleys have faced endless barriers: no family assistance, no transport vouchers, no home modifications, termination of benefits, denial of necessary medical treatments and constant battles with the insurer just to secure the bare minimum.
Recent amendments to the Workplace Industry Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013 were intended to improve fairness and dignity for injured workers, yet Byron’s experience shows this is not happening. Fortunately Byron has a strong family support system around him, but this should not be the only safety net. This family is exhausted. They are calling for urgent legislative reform, a streamlined one-stop shop for injured workers and their families, fairer compensation and better support services. How do we have a system where a young apprentice suffers a life-changing injury and the scheme designed to protect him fails? In 2023–24 Victorian businesses will face dramatic WorkCover premium hikes, generating $1.7 billion in revenue, yet this money is not reaching the injured workers who need it most. Minister, Byron’s case is not isolated. It reflects a system that is failing those it is meant to protect. I urge you to act now to fix this broken WorkCover scheme.
Thank you to Mr Cameron for sharing Byron's story. I was saddened to hear of Byron's experience with the WorkCover system. Mr Cameron is welcome to contact my office with the details of this matter so that I can request an update from WorkSafe.
The recent amendments to the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013 (WIRC Act) strengthen the ability of the WorkCover scheme to provide high-quality services and ensure workers and other scheme claimants are treated fairly, respectfully and with dignity. This includes a new power to develop and implement a Code of Claimants' Rights, which will set service standards and corresponding obligations on WorkSafe, its agents and self-insurers. The amendments also provided for the appointment of members with a lived experience to WorkSafe's advisory committees and improved upports for family members after a work-related death.
In 2024-25, WorkSafe provided more than $3.7 billion in support to more than 109,000 injured workers. These supports include HelpConnect, a new occupational rehabilitation service, that provides free tailored support to injured workers, including help with Centrelink and accessing financial counselling, planning rehabilitation, vocational advice and job seeking skills.
For the 2025-26 financial year, the average premium rate remains at 1.8 per cent of remuneration for a third consecutive year. The Allan Labor Government is taking a balanced approach to support the long-term viability of Victoria's WorkCover scheme and has committed that once WorkCover returns to financial sustainability, any savings will go back into the scheme to ensure better outcomes for workers and lower premiums for businesses. An independent statutory review will be conducted in 2027 to ensure the reforms are working as they should.
The Hon. Ben Carroll MP
Deputy Premier Minister for Education
Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC