Performance snapshot
Table 1: SRC Act scheme profile (excluding licensees)
| 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |
| Comcare insured employees | |||||
| Australian Government | 142,996 | 149,700 | 153,652 | 158,267 | 160,500 |
| ACT Government | 16,300 | 15,761 | 15,605 | 15,852 | 16,250 |
| Total | 159,296 | 165,461 | 169,257 | 174,119 | 176,750 |
| Total wage & salary bill – $ million | |||||
| Australian Government | 6,801 | 7,604 | 7,973 | 8,650 | 9,320 |
| ACT Government | 769 | 767 | 781 | 823 | 916 |
| Total | 7,570 | 8,371 | 8,754 | 9,473 | 10,236 |
| Total premium pool – $ million (1) | |||||
| Australian Government | 70.1 | 74.3 | 79.4 | 97.7 | 133.5 |
| ACT Government | 21.3 | 23.9 | 26.2 | 25.3 | 28.6 |
| Total | 91.4 | 98.2 | 105.6 | 123.0 | 162.1 |
| Administration component of premium pool – $ million | |||||
| 17.7 | 16.8 | 15.8 | 13.6 | 15.9 | |
| Premium rate | |||||
| Australian Government | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.4% |
| ACT Government | 2.8% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| Average claim cost | |||||
| Australian Government | $10,528 | $10,989 | $12,746 | $19,295 | $22,662 |
| ACT Government | $24,807 | $27,868 | $28,028 | $27,328 | $27,893 |
| Claim frequency per 100 FTE | |||||
| Australian Government | 3.68 | 3.39 | 3.19 | 2.82 | 3.11 |
| ACT Government | 4.83 | 4.94 | 5.14 | 5.31 | 5.50 |
| Estimated outstanding liability as at 30 June – $ million (2) | |||||
| Premiums | 623 | 643 | 698 | 787 | 808 |
| Pre Premiums | 571 | 602 | 593 | 606 | 619 |
| Total | 1,194 | 1,246 | 1,291 | 1,393 | 1,427 |
| Estimated reserve as at 30 June – $ million | |||||
| 205 | 196 | 145 | 81 | 107 | |
| Total workers compensation costs – $ million (3) | |||||
| 183.6 | 185.2 | 186.1 | 190.4 | 197.7 | |
NOTES
(1) 2000 – 01 and later premium pools include 10% GST.
(2) Estimates contain a risk margin of 10.5% for 2000 and 2001, 10.6% for 2002, 2003 and 2004
(3) Excludes third party recoveries and claims administration costs
The number of Australian Government Insured employees differs from the figure shown in the 2002 – 03 annual report which included 1,432 employees from non premium paying agencies
Graph 1: Forecast claim frequency and average cost – Australian Government
Upward trends in the frequency of claims for psychological injuries and payments for time off work and medical costs increased the forecast average cost of claims. The average lifetime cost of claims for psychological injuries sustained in 2004 – 05 for Australian Government premium paying agenciesis forecast to be around $110,000 if costs for those claims continue the trends of recent years.
Graph 2: Forecast claim frequency and average cost – ACT Government
Upward trends in the frequency of claims for psychological injuries and payments for time offwork and medical costs also increased the forecast average cost of claims for the ACT Government.The average lifetime cost of claims for psychological injuries sustained in 2004 – 05 for the ACT Government is forecast to be around $70,000 if costs for those claims continue the trendsof recent years.
Table 2: What causes injuries
The following table identifies the cause of injury for those claims that were accepted by Comcare in 2003 – 04. The majority of injuries occurred as a result of body stressing (manual handling activities) and falls, trips and slips. Comcare has developed guidance material for agencies
to assist them in preventing these incidents.
| Cause of injury | Percentage of claims | Percentage of total cost ** |
| Body stressing | 41.8% | 43.6% |
| Falls, trips & slips | 20.7% | 12.3% |
| Other & unspecified causes* | 13.4% | 10.6% |
| Being hit by moving objects | 8.4% | 3.4% |
| Mental stress/psychological issues | 6.8% | 27.1% |
| Hitting objects | 4.1% | 0.9% |
| Sound & pressure | 2.0% | 0.4% |
| Chemicals & other substances | 1.5% | 1.0% |
| Heat, radiation & electricity | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| Biological factors | 0.4% | 0.2% |
* This includes motor vehicle accidents
** Total cost represents cost to date (money already paid on claims) and an estimate of future liabilities
Table 3: When injuries occur
The SRC Act provides workers’ compensation coverage for injuries sustained outside the workplace. The following table analyses those claims that were accepted in 2003 – 04 by duty status. It shows that the majority of injuries occurred in the workplace.
| Duty status | Percentage of claims | Percentage of total cost* |
| Working at usual workplace | 65.7% | 76.0% |
| While travelling to/from work | 18.2% | 11.2% |
| While working elsewhere | 4.3% | 3.7% |
| Other | 3.6% | 4.6% |
| While having a break | 2.8% | 1.3% |
| During authorised sport | 2.7% | 0.8% |
| Traffic accident while working | 1.6% | 1.3% |
| While attending approved study | 0.9% | 1.3% |
* Total cost represents cost to date (money already paid on claims) and an estimate of future liabilities
Table 4: Nature of injuries
The following table identifies the type of injuries suffered by employees for claims accepted by Comcare in 2003 – 04. It identifies that the most commonly occurring injuries were sprains/strains (excluding back injuries), however, psychological injury claims were the most costly.
| Nature of injury | Percentage of claims | Percentage of total cost* |
| Sprains/strains (excl back) | 38.8% | 26.5% |
| Back | 15.0% | 15.6% |
| Occupational overuse syndrome | 14.3% | 16.9% |
| Psychological injuries | 6.9% | 27.1% |
| Fracture (excl back) | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Other diseases | 5.0% | 4.6% |
| Open wounds | 4.8% | 0.4% |
| Contusion/crush | 4.6% | 1.5% |
| Other injuries | 4.5% | 1.5% |
| External effects | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| Multiple injuries | 0.2% | 0.4% |
* Total cost represents cost to date (money already paid on claims) and an estimate of future liabilities
The preceding three tables reported on the 5,749 claims accepted by Comcare in 2003 – 04. A total of $26.8m has been spent to date on these claims in workers’ compensation benefits under the SRC Act.
Diagram 2: Payment type analysis
Diagram 2 provides a broad analysis of the costs to 30 June 2004 of claims accepted by Comcare in 2003 - 04. Of the $26.8m paid in benefits against these claims (as at 30 June 2004), $14.9m represented payments for lost salary (incapacity) due to work related illness and injury.
Table 5: Comcare 2003 – 04 strategic snapshot
|
Strategic direction |
What we need to do |
What we achieved (our initiatives) |
|
Improving the safety and rehabilitation of employees in the Commonwealth jurisdiction and the compensation services we provide |
Reduce the number of injuries in Commonwealth employment Reduce the time off work for those who are injured or ill Develop best practice injury/disease prevention and management systems for the Commonwealth jurisdiction Ensure that long tail claims are managed effectively |
Continued to implement the Leadership and Accountability Strategy to increase senior management commitment to creating and maintaining safe and supportive workplaces Continued implementation of a strategy to ensure the National OHS Strategy targets are met in the Commonwealth jurisdiction Assisted some premium paying agencies in the application of the return to work management systems assessment tool Piloted and reviewed an interagency job placement program Continued to undertake a range of activities aimed at improving dispute resolution including claim form redesign and analysis and development of alternate dispute resolution processes Undertook research focused on leadership and accountability, psychological injury and emerging issues (such as an ageing and a contingent workforce) Reviewed strategies, services and products relating to the prevention and management of psychological injury and developed an improvement plan Distributed fact sheets to General Practitioners to increase awareness of the Commonwealth workers’ compensation scheme and to assist in the achievement of the best possible health outcomes for injured/ill employees under the SRC Act. |
|
Strategic direction |
What we need to do |
What we achieved (our initiatives) |
|
Engaging our stakeholders and customers in achieving that improvement |
Actively work with employers to implement best practice injury/disease prevention and management systems Communicate professionally, effectively and appropriately with stakeholders Provide high quality injury prevention and management products including consultancies, training and systems improvement tools to improve injury management within the jurisdiction |
Hosted a two week Safety Symposium to coincide with the Towards Australia’s Safest Workplaces II conference Continued to assist agencies through Whole of Agency projects to develop and implement effective, targeted strategies to reduce the incidence and duration of employees compensation claims Hosted an inaugural National Rehabilitation Conference Leading the way in Injury Management Continued to provide customer forums in all capital cities addressing prevention, return Held a series of half day seminars for Commonwealth health and safety representatives (HSRs) with the theme Co-hosted workshops with the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) on Preventing Bullying and Harassment Continued to deliver an extensive learning and development and consultancy program for agencies and service providers; the range of services provided as part of the program was expanded to accommodate contemporary issues Established the Commonwealth Compensation Liaison Committee and Licensee/Comcare Consultative Forum to provide a vehicle for communication between relevant stakeholders and Comcare |
|
Strategic direction |
What we need to do |
What we achieved (our initiatives) |
|
Supporting our people to enable them to best contribute to improving our business |
Ensure that all internal systems actively support the achievement of business outcomes Improve internal communication, performance management and feedback systems Ensure the recruitment and retention of professional, highly skilled staff, and ensure sound financial management and governance |
Conducted a staff survey to obtain feedback on a range of issues in the organisation and developed a comprehensive organisational response to address identified priority areas for action Continued work on defining key capabilities and career paths in Comcare. Refined the use of generic criteria and bulk recruitment processes at all job levels, and filled 80 positions below SES level through these processes in 2003 – 04 Launched a Health and Wellbeing Strategy aimed at enhancing staff health, safety, well being and lifestyle Introduced rest break software as a preventative measure for occupational overuse syndrome, the most frequent single injury category within Comcare Continued to provide innovative development programs for staff at all levels focused on priority skill and knowledge areas; introduced a Foundation Program for APS1-4 staff and a Women’s program (launched on International Women’s Day) Reviewed the Performance and Development Framework Formally recognised the contribution of nominated individuals and teams under Continued to provide access to a range of flexible working arrangements which were well utilised by staff |