The Western Australian Government has introduced a second round of negligence laws in a last-minute bid to address the ongoing string of liability insurance shocks.

The changes include an end to the concept of joint and several liability for pure economic loss in favour of proportionate liability. This means in future defendants will only be required to pay compensation for the loss they are directly responsible for.

WA Premier Geoff Gallop says the changes to legislation will help prevent the current tendency for companies to blame others and automatically seek financial compensation when something goes wrong. “[The changes] aim to encourage more self-reliance and responsible behaviour by individuals who need to realise they cannot rely completely on negligence laws in the event of an accident,” he said.