The ALP's commitment to implement the National Injury Insurance Scheme (NIIS) is in jeopardy. The NIIS, a federation of state-based schemes first proposed in 2011, includes a medical treatment injuries stream which would be the first step towards a comprehensive no-fault compensation scheme for Australia’s injured patients.
The 2021 national platform commits the ALP to implement the NIIS but there is no reference to the scheme in the draft 2023 national platform! Members of the ALP and affiliated unions have until 23 June to make submissions on the draft, which will be debated and adopted at the ALP national conference in Brisbane on 17-19 August.
There is very little time left to get this policy commitment reinstated. This is what you can do: If you are a member of the ALP or an affiliated union, please make your submission through the National Platform Portal. If you are not a member, please do as follows:
- Copy the letter below into your email program;
- Put at the foot of the letter your name and contact details;
- Address the email to Daniel.Mulino.MP@aph.gov.au (the National Policy Forum secretary);
- Copy the email to your local MP (find instructions here) and to missfenny2017@gmail.com (so that Sarah and Vickie can track how many people have contacted the ALP);
- If you have lived experience of a healthcare injury, include a brief account of your story so that the government knows how important the NIIS is.
- Here is the letter:
Dear Dr Mulino,
As a supporter of Australia’s injured patients, I strongly urge the ALP to reinstate its commitment to implementing the National Injury Insurance Scheme. The 2021 national platform, page 56, point 72, says: “The only factor that should determine the level of care someone receives is the level of support they require, not the cause of their injury. Labor will therefore ensure the National Injury Insurance Scheme (NIIS) complements the NDIS. A person-centred NIIS for catastrophic injuries will revolutionise support for people with disability by reducing the large inequities in lifetime care and support that currently exists across Australia. This is critical for a sustainable NDIS.”
There is no reference to the NIIS in the 2023 draft national policy platform. Australia’s injured patients have been left behind for far too long. No-fault compensation for personal injury including healthcare injuries was recommended twice, in 1974 and 2011. Each time the ALP government lost power before the scheme was implemented. The result is that if you suffer a head injury in the workplace or on the roads, you are covered by no-fault compensation. If you suffer a head injury in a hospital, you face a costly, time-consuming and highly stressful litigation lottery.
The NDIS is funded through general taxation; the medical treatment injuries stream of the NIIS will be funded, at least in part, by medical indemnity premiums. It does not make economic sense to drop the commitment to the NIIS. Even if no action is taken during this term, it's vital that the ALP commitment remains in their national platform to provide the basis for future action.
Sincerely,
<INSERT your name>
<INSERT your contact details>
Please continue to share our petition and encourage people to sign it.
Gratefully,
Sarah and Vickie