In September 2006, NSW and Victoria developed a ten-point action plan to assist in removing the administrative burden for workers and employers operating in both jurisdictions.
In October 2006, the initiative received broad support when the state premiers and territory chief ministers of the Council for the Australian Federation made a commitment to implement, where feasible, the initiatives of the ten-point plan by 30 June 2007 in their respective states and territories.
The council also endorsed the establishment of inter-jurisdictional working groups, which meet regularly to ensure efficient implementation of the actions of the ten-point plan and to identify further opportunities to reduce the administrative workload of multi-state employers.
Under the intergovernmental agreement, the following initiatives have been completed:
- Developed uniform WorkCover claim forms with common and more efficient lodgement processes.
- Developed common administrative processes for premium payments, including payment plan options.
- Established 'one-stop shops' within each workers compensation insurer to service multi-state employers – account managers provide a single point of entry for resolving queries.
- Implemented new 'mutual recognition' rules to enable return to work coordinators to work across states when supporting injured workers.
- Implemented new mutual recognition arrangements for construction induction cards issued in all states and adopted the national training agenda for OHS induction training for the construction industry.
- Implemented mutual recognition of plant and machinery and a uniform system of accreditation of verifiers for pieces of plant and machinery.
- Aligned regulatory approaches in the domestic construction industry in collaboration with employers and unions.
- Shared advertising campaigns focused on improving safety at work.
- Used common guidance material for employers to help improve workplace safety and compliance with workers compensation legislation.
- Implemented a common 'gateway' analysis for employers applying for self insurance (in line with the work of the Heads of Workers Compensation Authorities), and developed uniform financial indicators and a common audit tool to assess safety performance.
To follow on from phase 1 of the harmonisation program (ie the implementation of the 10-point plan), a new set of projects is currently under development to achieve greater national consistency in occupational health and safety and workers compensation arrangements. Phase 2 of the program will further address the objectives of achieving greater regulatory consistency for employers who work across state and territory boundaries.