The latest reforms to workers’ compensation legislation passed the NSW Parliament last Thursday, but the State Government says more change is on the way.

“The Government recognises while this is an important day, there is still more work to do,” Finance, Services and Property Minister Dominic Perrottet said.

“The next step in the evolution of the workers’ compensation system will be consultation on the regulation of legal costs.”

The Government will contact stakeholders in the next few weeks to determine the best way forward on this matter, he says.

Mr Perrottet says the Workers’ Compensation Amendment Bill 2015 and the State Insurance and Care Governance Bill 2015 will mean $1 billion of enhanced benefits are passed to injured workers and employers, and will bring structural reform of the scheme.

“It’s clear we have struck the right balance between the needs of injured workers and the businesses that support the scheme,” he said.

WorkCover Independent Review Officer Kim Garling told insuranceNEWS.com.au most of the reforms are “terrific”, but there remain two “mechanical” areas under which injured workers will hit barriers, and these must be addressed by the Government.

He flags the requirement for only one medical assessment of permanent impairment for medical expenses, arguing more should be allowed because impairment can increase.

Another issue is the requirement for workers with whole-person impairment of 10% or less to be assessed for entitlement to treatment paid by insurers. Before the new legislation all injured workers qualified automatically.

“The process involves a lawyer being consulted and, as a minimum, one independent medical specialist providing an assessment,” Mr Garling said.

“That will add significant cost for the insurers.”

See earlier story.