Independent assurance required for Return to Work Bill

The Return to Work Bill currently before Parliament will receive support from the Opposition as long as the State Government can provide independent assurance around the impacts of the proposed changes to the scheme.

The South Australian Liberal Party last night agreed to support the Bill as long as an actuarial opinion and an independent peer review are provided by the Government.

Opposition Leader David Speirs said there were still concerns about the Bill but with Business SA backing it, it was important to provide certainty to those that would be impacted by the changes.

“The Liberal Opposition will support the Return to Work Bill if the State Government can provide independent verification of the impacts of the proposed changes,” Mr Speirs said.

“The Malinauskas Labor Government has turned this whole process into a shambles by doing policy on the run.

“The first Bill had months of independent work behind it, whereas the new Bill was put together over a weekend after Peter Malinauskas succumbed to the unions.

“Peter Malinauskas should have done this work before introducing a Bill into Parliament and then fearmongering amongst the community.

“The only thing left is for Labor to prove the numbers stack up and we will support the passage of this Bill which will provide certainty to the business community, workers, as well as the Return to Work Board.”

Shadow Treasurer Matt Cowdrey said the Liberal Party had reached its position after doing broad consultation with a range of stakeholders.

“We have been inundated with complaints about the process and the lack of information. If the Malinauskas Labor Government are confident with their proposal, independent verification shouldn’t be a problem and the Bill will pass,” Mr Cowdrey said.

“We wouldn’t be in this position if Labor hadn’t introduced a Bill on Budget Day and, less than 24 hours later in Parliament time, yanked it back only to completely move the goalposts.”

The Opposition will consider any amendments put forward during the Bill’s passage through the Legislative Council.