Some people are lucky enough that they can only imagine what it's like to be injured in a motor
accident.
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For those that aren't so lucky; they have people like me. I'm a lawyer and I talk to injured people every day. My job is quite simply: to fight insurance companies. I enjoy my work because I get to help people that really need it. But I can only help them as much as the law allows.
The ACT currently leads the way in motor accident compensation laws. This could all come very
unstuck if the newly introduced Motor Accident Injuries Bill is passed in the Legislative Assembly.
You know that thing that you're legally required to pay for with your car registration? It's called
compulsory third-party insurance, otherwise known as CTP. It means that everyone who has been
injured as a result of someone's negligence on the roads is entitled to fair compensation for their
injuries. This new bill will ruin this system.
If the bill is made law, about 90 per cent of people injured by the negligence of others will have their
compensation cut; probably forcing them onto social welfare.
The bill is infested with disputes which will be controlled by the insurers. Injured people will be
prevented from seeking independent legal advice. Self-represented claimants get nothing or next to
nothing in CTP claims.
This will mean that the insurers can stop a person from getting the treatment they need, receiving the wages they deserve and being properly compensated for their loss. This is the future we are facing.
Let me be clear, this new system will not be easy for injured people, it will be a hellscape; and now the vulnerable will be left undefended. The insurers will be laughing all the way to the bank, and from what we have learned from the banking and insurance royal commission, this is not a laughing matter.
The only good thing about the bill is that it introduces some limited at-fault cover for blameless
accidents and for people who were at-fault. To be sure, a no-fault scheme would be a great addition to the current system. However, this can be achieved without dismantling compensation for innocent motor accident victims.
The government and the Greens need to withdraw their support for the bill lest the people wake up and realise what has been done to them. If you want to stop this from happening, you need to contact your local government members now to make your voice heard.
Let there be no doubt; Canberrans will be worse off if the Motor Accidents Injuries Bill is introduced
as it stands today.
If they pass this bill, the Labor Party and the Greens will have to answer to the
people of the ACT. Not just to any people, but to the innocent, the injured and the disabled people of the ACT.
Felix Blumer is the director of Blumers Personal Injury Lawyers
