Assistant Treasurer Helen Coonan says the Opposition’s stance on TPA reform is ill-informed. Commenting on the Senate’s continued blocking of amendments to the Act, she said last week that the action is “a slap in the face for every pony club, tourist attraction, community event and small business struggling with higher insurance premiums and finding cover harder and harder to find”.

“It’s hard to understand why Labor is fighting to keep open a loophole which allows people trying to avoid state law reforms to use parts of the Trade Practices Act, which were never intended for the recovery of damages for personal injury.”

While the pursuit of tort reform has been a fairly gentle affair up to now, this is an election year, which may account for Senator Coonan’s more political language. She says the Liberal Party has “pursued concrete, long-term solutions that have a genuine and lasting impact on the insurance landscape”. Labor, by contrast, is “interested only in grandstanding and buck-passing”.

“I’m yet to hear of any sensible and sustainable solution to ensuring the safety and stability of the medical indemnity industry from Labor or any other suggestions to improve the availability of insurance being offered in Australia,” she said.