The NSW Government is set to appoint employer and employee representatives to the icare board after the state parliament passed legislation introducing governance reforms.

Two people will be nominated by employer and employee representatives and will replace two non-executive directors, leaving the size of the icare board unchanged with nine directors.

Legislation to amend the State Insurance and Care Governance Act 2015 for the board changes passed both houses of parliament yesterday evening after it was introduced in late June.

“Appointing representatives of employer and union bodies to the icare board will ensure these important perspectives are heard in the icare boardroom,” Industrial Relations and Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis said.

“This will legally ensure perspectives on premium affordability, timely and accurate payment of wage entitlements, timely access to medical diagnosis and treatment to support recovery and returning to work.”

icare provides workers’ compensation for about 330,000 business and 3.4 million workers in NSW, managing about 60,000 new claims each year.

Ms Cotsis says adding the representatives to the board is “the first step to bring a critical lens upon management to improve performance and accountability to ensure better outcomes”.

The Government has previously said that return-to-work rates and dissatisfaction felt by many injured workers have highlighted the need for a diversity of views and more robust decision making.