AREEA has recommended that the federal government abolish Australia’s Seacare scheme – a national work health and safety and workers’ compensation scheme for a small proportion of the maritime sector – in favour of employers and seafarers being covered by state and territory laws.
The recommendation formed part of AREEA’s response to a Department of Employment consultation paper that followed two independent reviews recommending ‘widespread reform’.
In the consultation paper, the Department put forward three alternative options for reform:
- Maintain the scheme in its current form (status quo);
- Abolish the scheme and revert to state / territory coverage;
- Reform the scheme.
AREEA in its submission said the current scheme rests on financially unsafe and unfounded foundations, and delivers worse policy and protective outcomes than prevailing state and territory regulation covering employees generally across the wider workforce.
“The abolition of the Seacare scheme would in no way diminish coverage and protections for maritime employees, who would be clearly covered by state and territory workers compensation and WHS schemes as are other employees throughout Australia,” the submission states.
“Existing ‘state of connection’ or ‘cross-border’ workers’ compensation arrangements that already exist in each state and territory would make clear which state / territory workers’ compensation scheme an injured worker would be covered by.”
As for the other two options outlined in the consultation paper, AREEA submitted that retaining the status quo was not sustainable given the scheme’s current performance and declining coverage base. While not opposed to some suggested measures to reform the scheme under Option 3, AREEA advised that on balance the entire package of changes under that option were not supported.
For more information on the proposed reforms and AREEA’s submission, click here. Alternatively, please contact AREEA senior workplace policy adviser Lisa Matthews on (03) 6270 2256 or [email protected].
