Dear signers, we are excited to let you all know that Kerry Breen and David Weisbrot are backing our petition to give injured patients a fair go! Experts in this area, David has served as President of the Australian Law Reform Commission, and Kerry as President of the Australian Medical Council and the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria. None of this would be possible without your support, and we’re beyond grateful!
Like all of us, Kerry and David want to see a compensation system that helps, not punishes, Australians facing serious medical injuries. But, without a no-fault compensation scheme, what happened to Sarah and I will keep happening to others like us, with devastating and lasting consequences.
Experts are telling us that a better and fairer system is possible, and it’s been right in front of us all along. Now, we need the newly elected Government to help us get this done.
Kerry and David have been advocating for a no-fault compensation scheme for over a decade. As the name suggests, this type of scheme is focused on compensating patients outside the courts without having to prove fault.
In a joint article written in 2014, they explain why this scheme is so urgently needed:
“Australians have long accepted no-fault compensation schemes for injuries in the workplace and from motor vehicles, it’s time we did the same for medical injuries.”
Sarah and I know all too well the damage caused by the current system. Kerry and David hit the nail on the head:
“Cases can take years to be settled or decided, denying claimants early access to necessary care and rehabilitation.”
Australia is lagging behind other countries which have already implemented no-fault schemes. They include New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, France and Japan.
A no-fault compensation scheme for health care injuries was first recommended in Australia by the Woodhouse Committee in 1974.
Why is it that half a century later nothing has changed, and injured patients must fight tooth and nail for fair compensation?
Imagine how much pain and hardship could have been avoided if a no-fault scheme had been put in place all these years ago.
To be clear, we don’t think a no-fault compensation scheme should replace the right to sue for negligence. People should have the choice.
So, what next? Sarah and I need your help to get more signatures for the petition and build support for this issue. Can you share Kerry and David’s article now to help us build momentum and get this issue on the agenda of the Albanese Government?
Thank you for sharing Kerry and David’s article and for standing alongside us as we demand a #FairGoForInjuredPatients.
Sarah and Vickie