Small businesses and community groups will see their insurance premiums rise if the proposal by the new Queensland Attorney-General Kerry Shine to undo tort reform goes through, says Federal Assistant Treasurer Peter Dutton.

Mr Shine wants a return to a “more litigious, more expensive and less sustainable personal injury system”, he said yesterday.

“It is clear that Mr Shine has little appreciation for the benefits flowing to the whole community from the changes to tort law, which (Premier Peter) Beattie has so strongly supported in the past.”

Mr Dutton says public liability and professional indemnity premiums would have gone beyond the reach of many in the community without the reforms. “The tort law reforms of recent years have had a positive impact on the availability and affordability of public liability and professional indemnity insurance.”

In 2005 premiums fell 13.4% for public liability and 6% for professional indemnity.