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Shattered: Episode 4 -
Royal Commissions Examined

The Path To Reform - Is A National Vision Required?

In the gripping finale of "Shattered," we uncover a startling revelation: Australia's first Royal Commission into Insurance in 1923 recommended a national workers' compensation scheme – a vision that remains unrealized a century later. Even Gough Whitlam's government came tantalizing close, with legislation before Parliament when the 1975 Dismissal derailed this transformative opportunity.

Today, our fragmented state-by-state systems continues to inflict profound hardship on injured workers. Employers pay compulsory premiums collected by the States. In Victoria employer premiums rose by a massive 42%. What is really going wrong? Episode 4 asks the burning question: Is it finally time for a national scheme? Through compelling interviews with policy experts, lawyers, insurers, employers, academics, injured workers, and advocates, we weigh the potential benefits against the challenges of such a monumental reform.

But this finale goes deeper, examining the very fabric of how Australia pursues systemic change. Why have Royal Commissions become our go-to response for national crises? Do they deliver genuine reform, or have they become expensive exercises in delayed action? And most provocatively – why has workers' compensation, despite decades of state-level inquiries and documented failures, never warranted a Royal Commission specific to it? It's a $60 billion sector in Australia and worth trillions globally. Are the agendas of competing parties getting in the way of what is required to care for our injured and sick? 

Join us for this hard-hitting conclusion as we explore what is it truly going to take to transform a broken system.

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The Harsh Reality

Royal Commissions are often hailed as the ultimate tool for uncovering truth and driving change. But for the countless women battling workplace injuries, medical misogyny and navigating a labyrinth of bureaucracy, inquiries or Commissions can feel like just another dead end. This episode forces us to confront uncomfortable truths:

 

1. **Recommendations without Action**: How many reports gather dust while lives continue to be shattered?

2. **Political Theater**: Are inquiries and ultimately Royal Commissions truly independent, or are they influenced by the very systems they're meant to investigate?

3. **The Human Cost**: While Royal Commissions and indeed inquiries too deliberate, real people suffer. Families are torn apart, careers are destroyed, and lives are put on hold.

A System in Crisis

The workers' compensation system, meant to be a safety net, has become a trap. It's a world where:

 

- Financial institutions, not healthcare professionals, call the shots

- Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) feel more like inquisitions than assessments

- Conflicts of interest run rampant, with insurance companies wielding undue influence

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The Endless Cycle of Reviews:

Australia's workers' compensation system stands as a testament to the limitations of institutional reform. Despite numerous high-level investigations—from Royal Commissions to the Grellman Review and National Productivity Commission inquiries and the McDougall Reviews (NSW) into Workers' Compensation—the system remains fragmented and ineffective. Each review points to the same conclusion: a national scheme is needed. Yet the path to reform is blocked by a web of competing interests and historical compromises that have created a  nearly impenetrable complex maze.

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What We Must Demand

1. **Health-Centric Workers' Compensation**: Move oversight from financial portfolios to health portfolios. Injured workers are patients, not profit centers.

 

2. **True Independence in Medical Assessments**: Reform the IME system to prioritize patient care over insurance company interests.

 

3. **Eliminate Conflicts of Interest**: Implement strict regulations to separate insurance interests from medical and regulatory decisions.

 

4. **Appoint a Commissioner**: There is currently no role that has oversight of the entire system. It is too fragmented to deliver.

 

5. **Transparency and Accountability**: Demand open reporting on how recommendations are implemented and their real-world impact.

 

6. **Support for the Injured**: Create robust systems to support workers through their recovery and return to work, focusing on doctor led care and health outcomes rather than cost-cutting.

Your Role in Driving Change

The system is shattered, but we have the power to rebuild it. Here's how you can act:

 

1. **Spread Awareness**: Share "Shattered" and its message. The more people who know, the louder our voice becomes.

 

2. **Contact Your Local Politician**: Demand they address the issues exposed in the docuseries. Push for legislative change.

 

3. **Support Advocacy Groups**: Join or donate to organizations fighting for workers' rights and compensation reform.

 

4. **Speak Out**: If you've experienced injustice in the workers' compensation system, share your story. Your voice matters.

 

5. **Stay Informed**: Keep up with developments in workers' compensation laws and policies. Knowledge is power.

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It's been 100 years since the Royal Commission Into Insurance - What Now?

"Shattered" isn't just exposing problems—it's issuing a clarion call for revolution. We must reimagine a system where regulation isn't just words on paper but a living, breathing ecosystem of justice.  We must take all stakeholders on this journey too.

 

We need a complete overhaul of the workers' compensation system, one that puts the health and well-being of injured workers first. Presently, this system has become a finance system pretending to be health. That defeats the entire goal of return to work.

 

Are you ready to be part of this change? 

Let's turn the discussion surrounding "Shattered" into a force for real, lasting change. 

 

Note: Episode 4 will draw on the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicides and as such content direction may adjust after the findings have been handed down.

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