ANNUAL REPORT - Home - worksafe.qld.gov.au€¦ · performance measure 07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05...

347 Ann Street Brisbane QueenslandPO Box 10119 Brisbane Adelaide Street Queensland 4000P 1300 361 235 F (07) 3238 3080E [email protected] www.qcomp.com.au

Changing the Experience

07/08 Ann

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ANNUAL REPORT

Contents over

Our visionAn enduring Queensland workers’ compensation and rehabilitation scheme that balances the needs of workers and employers.

Our missionTo effectively regulate and promote the scheme and to work cooperatively with insurers, stakeholders and Government for the fair and efficient operation of the workers’ compensation scheme in Queensland.

Our valuesFairness, Accountability, Impartiality, Responsiveness and Respect.

Our roleQ-COMP’s primary function is to regulate the Queensland Workers’ compensation scheme – this includes resolving disputes, managing and analysing scheme-wide data and information, and educating and informing stakeholders and customers about the scheme.

Rehabilitation and return to work 32Supporting employers and insurers to assist injured workers.

Our people 36Our most valuable resource.

Customer service excellence – looking after our internal customers 42Ensuring employees have everything they need to do their job.

The Q-COMP Board 46Ensuring Q-COMP regulates the scheme fairly and equitably.

The Q-COMP Management Group 48Providing solid teamwork and leadership.

Governance 50Supporting our strategic goals and operational objectives.

Financial overview 62Summarising key aspects of our financial performance.

Financial statements 67

Appendices 89

Glossary 96

Index 104

Index to figures 106

Contents

Q-COMP highlights 2007/08 1Our highlights for the reporting year at a glance.

Q-COMP and the scheme 3Q-COMP regulates Queensland’s workers’compensation scheme.

Performance snapshot 6A snapshot of our progress for the reporting year.

National issues 10Promoting the Queensland scheme.

Chairman’s report 12A strategic view.

Chief Executive’s report 14An operational view.

Stakeholder relationships and awareness 16Building robust business relationships.

Customer service excellence – review and appeals 22Fair, consistent review decisions and proactively managed appeals.

Customer service excellence – medical assessment tribunals 26Fair and independent medical decisions.

Management and analysis of data and information 30Maintaining quality, up-to-date data for meaningful analysis.

How to use this table of contents

This contents page has been positioned on the inside

flap of the 2007/08 Annual Report so you can use it

as a handy navigational tool. Leave it open while you

are reading the report to help you find what you are

looking for more easily.

2007/08 Statistics Report

Changing the Experience


07/08 STATISTICS REPORT

We encourage you to turn to the inside back cover for your copy of the 07/08 Statistics Report.

Changing the experience

Changing the experience, which is the theme for our report this

year, describes how we have evolved into an organisation firmly

focused on our customers, providing regulatory services according

to our stated vision and mission and our values of Fairness,

Accountability, Impartiality, Responsiveness and Respect.

Q-COMP has a broad customer and stakeholder base, each having

an important role in the scheme. These include:

workers and their unions, in particular those workers who •

request a review of an insurer’s decision, lodge an appeal of

Q-COMP’s decision, or attend a medical assessment tribunal

employers and their industry associations•

workers’ compensation insurers, including WorkCover •

Queensland (which manages 90% of workers’ compensation

claims in Queensland) and 24 self-insurers (as at

30 June 2008)

medical and allied health professionals and their associations•

legal professionals and their associations•

Government, in particular the Department of Employment and •

Industrial Relations.

One of Q-COMP’s major goals is to increase stakeholder

engagement and participation in the scheme to achieve better

outcomes for workers and employers. Our report details our

progress towards achieving this goal and comments on the

consultative and participative approach we took in working

with stakeholders.

We have produced this report to:

inform the Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and •

Industrial Relations, scheme stakeholders and interested parties

from other jurisdictions

communicate Q-COMP’s activities and achievements for the •

2007/08 financial year

measure our performance against our strategic plan•

report our priorities for the future.•

Reporting Q-COMP’s progress

Q-COMP’s Annual Report to the Minister for Transport, Trade,

Employment and Industrial Relations accurately reflects Q-COMP’s

financial and non-financial performance from 1 July 2007 to 30

June 2008. We have reported our achievements and activities

against the goals developed in the strategic and operational

planning processes.

You will find our annual scheme-wide Statistics Report 2007/08

as a separate volume in the back of this publication. It is also

available on our website at www.qcomp.com.au.

Our Annual Report satisfies the legislative requirements of the

Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003, Financial

Administration and Audit Act 1977, Statutory Bodies Financial

Arrangements Act 1982 and other relevant legislation and

Government standards. We trust it also serves your needs

as a reader.

Tell us what you think!

Q-COMP is committed to continuous improvement and open and

accountable governance. We invite and welcome your feedback

on this Annual Report and accompanying statistics publication.

A feedback form is available on our website at www.qcomp.com.au

or you can send your comments to the postal address below.

Finding the information you need

Throughout the report, we refer readers to our website as a source

of additional information. The Annual Report and companion

statistics publication are both available on Q-COMP’s website

www.qcomp.com.au or you can request a hard copy through the

avenues listed below.

Senior Communications Advisor

Customer Service Group

Q-COMP

347 Ann Street Brisbane Queensland

PO Box 10119 Brisbane Adelaide Street Q 4000

Telephone: + 61 7 3235 9014

Facsimile: + 61 7 3238 3080

Email: [email protected]

Communications objective

The Workers’ Compensation Regulatory Annual Report 07/08 Q-COMP

1q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 highlights

Q-COMP highlights 07/08

Restructured our business to focus on the two strategic 1.

issues of customer service and professionalism,

with positive results received from our independent

research…‘the new customer service culture has turned

them around 180 degrees…’ (page 37)

Commissioned research on the strengths of the 2.

Queensland workers’ compensation scheme and

delivered relevant information to our stakeholders

at a time when national alternatives to state schemes

were being considered (page 10)

Developed and implemented 3. Comprehend–Q-CoMp’s

e-learning program–providing educational modules for

external customers (page 18) and Q-CoMp employees

(page 60)

Delivered high service levels even with a significant 4.

increase in workloads:

processed 2,381 review applications and made •

2,138 decisions (applications up 10.7percent)

(page 22)

finalised 338 appeals (lodgements up 6.5• percent)

(page 22)

processed 2,778 medical assessment tribunal •

referrals (referrals up 2.9percent) (page 26)

accredited 685 employer workplace rehabilitation •

policy and procedures* (applications up 39percent)

(page 91)

registered 4,304 rehabilitation and return to work •

coordinators * (applications up 20percent)

(page 91) *new and renewals

Developed return to work initiatives:5.

Better practice in return to work guide •

–for employers

Return to work assist• –for injured workers at risk of

losing their job (page 34)

implemented quality management systems to improve 6.

workflow management in our tribunal secretariat with

a view to expanding the systems to other service areas

in 08/09 (page 28)

01 Financial summary

07/08 $M

06/07 $M

05/06 $M

04/05 $M

03/04 $M

levy income 52.8 52.4 48.2 51.0 40.1

other income 2.4 2.8 2.2 1.6 0.7

scheme expenses 37.6 34.7 31.0 33.8 23.5

Q-CoMp operating expenses

19.6 17.5 17.4 14.9 15.4

Workers’ compensation scheme performance measures

02 self-insurer liability

performance measure

07/08 %

06/07%

05/06%

04/05%

03/04%

target%

prudential risk factor*

159 156 162.85 165.23 163 150

*Bank guarantees retained by Q-CoMp as a percentage of the total claims

liability for self-insurers

03 insurers

performance measure 07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04

new claims (no.)* 103,071 97,660 85,751 83,485 83,848

Common law lodgements (no.) 3,152 2,956 2,873 3,301 3,115

statutory claims expenditure ($M) 610.6 543.1 473.8 398.4 358.2

Common law settlement costs ($M) 384.5 347.8 340.6 321.8 305.2

scheme expenditure ($M) 995.1 890.9 814.4 720.2 663.4

Average cost of finalised time lost claims* ($) 9,379 8,396 8,612 7,849 8,292

Average duration of finalised time lost claims* (days) 36.2 33.9 37.1 37.3 40.7

*excluding cancelled and withdrawn claims

04 Q-CoMp

performance measure 07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04

MAt referrals 2,778 2,699 3,005 3,326 3,732

Applications for review of insurer decisions 2,381 2,150 2,320 2,379 2,470

Appeals lodged with industrial Magistrate 253 270 321 409 422

Appeals lodged with Queensland industrial Relations Commission* 93 81 55

*first lodgements from october 2005

1

2

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 letteR oF tRAnsMittAl

Letter of transmittal

october 2008

the honourable John Mickel MpMinister for transport, trade, employment and industrial Relationslevel 12, executive Building100 george streetBRisBAne Q 4000

Dear Minister

i am pleased to present Q-CoMp’s 07/08 Annual Report. this report represents Q-CoMp’s achievements

for the period 1 July 07 to 30 June 08.

Changing the experience describes how we have evolved into an organisation firmly focused on our

customers, providing regulatory services according to our stated vision, mission and values of Fairness,

Accountability, impartiality, Responsiveness and Respect.

one of Q-CoMp’s major goals is to increase stakeholder engagement and participation in the scheme to

achieve better outcomes for workers and employers. our report details our progress towards achieving this

goal and comments on the consultative and participative approach we took in working with stakeholders.

07/08 was a good year for Q-CoMp financially and from a customer service/relationship management

perspective. We will continue to increase our efforts in these areas.

i commend this Annual Report to you, as a record of our achievements and activities in our fifth year

of operation.

Yours sincerely

pAul BRADDY

Chairman

Q-CoMp Board

347 Ann Street Brisbane Q 4000 PO Box 10119 Brisbane Adelaide Street Q 4000

ABN 67 668 330 900www.qcomp.com.au

3q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Q-CoMp AnD the sCheMe

Q-COMP and the scheme

Our Vision

An enduring Queensland workers’ compensation and

rehabilitation scheme that balances the needs of workers

and employers.

Our Mission

to effectively regulate and promote the scheme and

to work cooperatively with insurers, stakeholders and

government for the fair and efficient operation of workers’

compensation in Queensland.

Our Values

Fairness, Accountability, impartiality, Responsiveness

and Respect.

Q-CoMp regulates Queensland’s workers’ compensation

scheme, working with stakeholders to balance the needs

of workers and employers and ensuring a fair and efficient

scheme for all. We do this by:

regulating •

monitoring insurer performance and compliance with •

the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act

2003 (the Act) (page 20)

deciding self-insurance applications (page 21)•

approving amounts payable under an industrial •

instrument (page 51)

monitoring employer rehabilitation compliance and •

providing advice (page 32)

collecting fees and administering grants (page 20)•

resolving disputes (page 22)•

reviewing insurer decisions (page 23)•

managing appeals of review decisions (page 25)•

supporting the medical assessment tribunals (MAt) •

(page 26)

educating and informing (page 16)•

promoting education about the workers’ •

compensation scheme (page 19)

managing data (page 30)•

maintaining and analysing statistics and reporting on •

the scheme (page 31).

the Act established Q-CoMp as an independent authority

from 1 July 2003. Q-CoMp receives no funding from the

government’s consolidated revenue and is primarily funded

through contributions from insurers.

Q-COMP has been an independent authority since 2003.

CEO Elizabeth Woods presents Justin Crowley, Queensland Self-Insurance Manager with a four year self-insurance licence for Toll Holdings Limited.

4

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Q-CoMp AnD the sCheMe

Workers’ compensation insurers

In Queensland, every employer, unless licensed as a self-insurer, must have a workers’ compensation policy with WorkCover Queensland.

this policy provides financial protection to employers by

covering the costs associated with worker’s compensation

statutory claims and common law claims. this year

WorkCover Queensland managed approximately 200,317

workers’ compensation policies and registered 92,795

statutory claims and 2,620 common law claims

– this represents 90% of workers’ compensation claims in

Queensland. the WorkCover Board reports to the Minister

for transport, trade and employment and

industrial Relations.

WorkCover Queensland is Q-CoMp’s major insurer

stakeholder and we are committed to continuing to build

and strengthen our working relationship with WorkCover.

An essential element of a good working relationship

is ensuring that there is transparent, regular and open

communication. Both Q-CoMp and WorkCover have

dedicated points of contact for operational issues and hold

regular meetings to discuss and progress issues of

mutual concern.

this commitment for a strong relationship is endorsed and

supported at the most senior level of both Q-CoMp and

WorkCover Queensland.

At 30 June 07, there were 24 self-insurers in the Queensland scheme covering 236 employers and their employees (see Appendix 3).

Q-CoMp may approve a self-insurance licence for an

employer if they meet legislative criteria including size,

assets, bank guarantees and health and safety performance.

note: the full list of individual companies under each self-

insurance licence is available on Q-CoMp’s website at

www.qcomp.com.au.

Q-CoMp and the scheme’s self-insurers share a good

working relationship and open lines of communication.

independent research showed a record 16% improvement

in the nature of the overall relationship and a 14%

improvement in perception of our customer service to all

insurers during 07/08. Q-CoMp insurer advisors meet

regularly with insurer representatives to discuss advisory,

performance and licensing matters. insurers reported a

10% improvement in the customer service delivered by our

insurer advisors – 88% of insurers felt the service delivered

was good to very good. We are delighted with these results

and are focused on using the research to improve our

service offerings.

“…It’s easy to speak with our insurer

advisor, they are very professional…”

CEO

Q-COMP Board

Customer servicegroup

scheme Analysis and information technology

health and tribunal

services

MedicalAdvisor

Review, Facilities and

AdministrationAppeals

Audit and Risk Committee

internal Audit

legal services

05 Q-CoMp organisational structure

5q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Q-CoMp AnD the sCheMe

We encourage insurers to raise and discuss individual

issues and scheme issues, both individually and through

the Queensland Workers’ Compensation self-insurers’

Association (QWCsiA). to create a better understanding

between insurers and Q-CoMp and to facilitate more open

discussion, the insurer advisors have invited Q-CoMp

officers from other units to accompany them to their

regular meetings with self-insurers (see page 20).

“…I have enjoyed the opportunity to

meet the heads of Review and MAT,

they are very open and seem to know

what is going on in the

self-insurance arena…”

The Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (the Department) develops workers’ compensation policy and scheme design.

officers from the Department work closely with

Q-CoMp, WorkCover Queensland, self-insurers and other

stakeholders in developing the scheme. Quarterly strategy

meetings with executive level representatives from

Q-CoMp, the Department, WorkCover Queensland and

Workplace health and safety Queensland facilitate greater

interaction and program planning. the Department often

consults with Q-CoMp:

for advice of legislative amendments•

to provide scheme statistics and further analysis•

for input into policy issues•

for comment on latest trends and issues.•

At bi-monthly meetings between the Department,

Q-CoMp and WorkCover Queensland, we discuss the

more operational aspects of current issues. Attendees

are the main contact officers for the particular issue

being discussed, and a manager from each organisation

on a rotational basis depending on the agenda. in taking

this collaborative approach, we aim to foster inter-

organisational networks and a better appreciation of the

functions and contributions each organisation makes to

the scheme.

intimations (excluding cancelled and withdrawn claims)

Claim rates

inti

mat

ions

(th

ousa

nd)

Financial year

02/03

0 0

20

40

60

80

100

120 6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08

Cla

im ra

tes

06Claim rates (per 100,000 employees covered by the scheme) and intimations

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employmentand Industrial Relations

Department of Employment and Industrial Relations

Workers’ Compensation

Insurance

PolicyMinister

Regulation

Q-COMPWorkCover Queensland and self-insurers

07the Queensland workers’ compensation scheme

6

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 peRFoRMAnCe snApshot

Business area Outcome What we promised What we delivered Target 08/09

Q-COMP, the scheme and national issuespage 3, 10

Actively contribute to the development of Queensland’s approach to the national reform agenda for workers’ compensation, and promote the positive aspects of the Queensland scheme.

Roll out Allied health Fee Review initiatives–includes delivery of information sessions in Brisbane and regional centres in July 07.

held information sessions in Brisbane and regional centres in July 07. Review the Medical tables of costs with medical bodies and their representatives.

Monitor national workers’ compensation issues. Commissioned report by Finity Consulting comparing Queensland with other state schemes and Comcare. Released to scheme stakeholders in July 07.

Advise on any implications for nationally consistent systems that arise.

Develop a strategy to improve common law durations in the scheme.

provided insurers with comparison performance data and convened an insurer forum to encourage strategies to improve durations. Common law durations are improving.

Continue to monitor common law durations.

Stakeholder relationships and awarenesspage 16

Consolidate and continue to develop and enhance relationships between workers’ compensation stakeholders.

Develop an online learning program to present training packages for key stakeholders.

Developed e-learning program, Comprehend and training modules for medical and allied health providers. Release more Comprehend training packages for doctors, allied health providers, employers and rehabilitation and return to work coordinators.

provide permanent impairment training for insurers, medical and legal practitioners.

partnered with the Motor Accident insurance Commission to deliver professor Ranavaya permanent impairment workshops for Queensland doctors, insurers and legal practitioners in July 07.

investigate options for a permanent impairment assessment module in Comprehend.

evaluate American Medical Association Guides 6th Edition (AMA 6) -released at the end of 08.

Coordinated an inter-agency evaluation of AMA 6. share feedback from evaluation with the Department of employment and industrial Relations, the Motor Accident insurance Commission and the Department of Justice and the Attorney-general.

Maintain customer service focus. Recruited employee as customer service champions who identified 32 process improvements.Developed a more rigorous customer research program.Developed and published a rolling quarterly series of newsletters to specific customers.

Recruit more customer service championsexpand customer research program.increase publishing capabilities.Develop new intranet.

new website to go live 1 July 08. go-live date pushed back to november 08. go live in november 08.

integrate a research program into unit business management. Completed stage one. stages two and three to go ahead in 08/09. Complete stages two and three of research program.

Restructure Q-CoMp to improve customer service. Completed. independent research cites 180 degree turnaround in service provision to customers. strengthen customer service culture.

Customer service excellence– review and appealspage 22

our customers understand and have confidence in Q-CoMp’s review decision and appeals management processes and outcomes.

expand in-house technical training. provided training and development opportunities and challenging projects for personal and professional development.

Develop new workflow system.

Continue to enhance the workers’ compensation dispute resolution system.

established a legal panel to support the Review unit, restructured the Appeals unit and appointed the new panel of barristers.

promote high levels of ethical and professional behaviour.

provide more opportunities for stakeholders to understand Queensland’s dispute resolution processes.

Built relationships with major state government departments and delivered presentations on the review process and related topics.

Disseminate information to stakeholders.

Customer service excellence–medical assessment tribunalspage 26

our customers have confidence in MAt processes and decisions and we are recognised for excellent customer service.

increase our understanding of insurer issues to improve efficiency of the medical assessment tribunal referral process.

provided and sought feedback at regular meetings with insurers coordinated by Customer service group insurer advisors.

provide opportunities for tribunal members to host and participate in educational forums.

Focus on tribunal secretariat services to workers to enhance their understanding and experience of the medical assessment tribunal process.

Restructured the tribunal secretariat–provided additional resources to address workers’ needs, focusing on the emotional aspects of their tribunal experience.

implement new workflow system.

Better understand the specific needs of respective tribunals to enable Q-CoMp to communicate those needs to insurers.

Built stronger relationship between tribunal Chairs and senior tribunal Coordinators enabling specific tribunal needs to be communicated to insurers.

provide more professional development opportunities for tribunal members.

Performance snapshot

7q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 peRFoRMAnCe SnApSHot


Q-COMP, the scheme and national issuespage 3, 10

Actively contribute to the development of Queensland’s approach to the national reform agenda for workers’ compensation, and promote the positive aspects of the Queensland scheme.

Roll out Allied Health Fee Review initiatives–includes delivery of information sessions in Brisbane and regional centres in July 07.

Held information sessions in Brisbane and regional centres in July 07. Review the Medical tables of costs with medical bodies and their representatives.

Monitor national workers’ compensation issues. Commissioned report by Finity Consulting comparing Queensland with other state schemes and Comcare. Released to scheme stakeholders in July 07.

Advise on any implications for nationally consistent systems that arise.

Develop a strategy to improve common law durations in the scheme.

provided insurers with comparison performance data and convened an insurer forum to encourage strategies to improve durations. Common law durations are improving.

Continue to monitor common law durations.

Stakeholder relationships and awarenesspage 16

Consolidate and continue to develop and enhance relationships between workers’ compensation stakeholders.

Develop an online learning program to present training packages for key stakeholders.

Developed e-learning program, Comprehend and training modules for medical and allied health providers. Release more Comprehend training packages for doctors, allied health providers, employers and rehabilitation and return to work coordinators.

provide permanent impairment training for insurers, medical and legal practitioners.

partnered with the Motor Accident Insurance Commission to deliver professor Ranavaya permanent impairment workshops for Queensland doctors, insurers and legal practitioners in July 07.

Investigate options for a permanent impairment assessment module in Comprehend.

evaluate American Medical Association Guides 6th Edition (AMA 6) -released at the end of 08.

Coordinated an inter-agency evaluation of AMA 6. Share feedback from evaluation with the Department of employment and Industrial Relations, the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and the Department of Justice and the Attorney-General.

Maintain customer service focus. Recruited employee as customer service champions who identified 32 process improvements.Developed a more rigorous customer research program.Developed and published a rolling quarterly series of newsletters to specific customers.

Recruit more customer service championsexpand customer research program.Increase publishing capabilities.Develop new intranet.

new website to go live 1 July 08. Go-live date pushed back to november 08. Go live in november 08.

Integrate a research program into unit business management. Completed Stage one. Stages two and three to go ahead in 08/09. Complete stages two and three of research program.

Restructure Q-CoMp to improve customer service. Completed. Independent research cites 180 degree turnaround in service provision to customers. Strengthen customer service culture.

Customer service excellence– review and appealspage 22

our customers understand and have confidence in Q-CoMp’s review decision and appeals management processes and outcomes.

expand in-house technical training. provided training and development opportunities and challenging projects for personal and professional development.

Develop new workflow system.

Continue to enhance the workers’ compensation dispute resolution system.

established a legal panel to support the Review unit, restructured the Appeals unit and appointed the new panel of barristers.

promote high levels of ethical and professional behaviour.

provide more opportunities for stakeholders to understand Queensland’s dispute resolution processes.

Built relationships with major state government departments and delivered presentations on the review process and related topics.

Disseminate information to stakeholders.

Customer service excellence–medical assessment tribunalspage 26

our customers have confidence in MAt processes and decisions and we are recognised for excellent customer service.

Increase our understanding of insurer issues to improve efficiency of the medical assessment tribunal referral process.

provided and sought feedback at regular meetings with insurers coordinated by Customer Service Group insurer advisors.

provide opportunities for tribunal members to host and participate in educational forums.

Focus on tribunal Secretariat services to workers to enhance their understanding and experience of the medical assessment tribunal process.

Restructured the tribunal Secretariat–provided additional resources to address workers’ needs, focusing on the emotional aspects of their tribunal experience.

Implement new workflow system.

Better understand the specific needs of respective tribunals to enable Q-CoMp to communicate those needs to insurers.

Built stronger relationship between tribunal Chairs and Senior tribunal Coordinators enabling specific tribunal needs to be communicated to insurers.

provide more professional development opportunities for tribunal members.

Achieved Ongoing Not achieved

8

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 peRFoRMAnCe snApshot


Management and analysis of data and informationpage 30

Quality capture and meaningful analysis of data and intelligence on scheme trends and issues.

evaluate the effect of the fee review for allied health providers, anaesthetists and public hospitals.

not completed due to delayed availability of relevant statistics. evaluate the effect of the fee review for allied health providers, anaesthetists and public hospitals.

Further develop and implement the scheme-wide performance monitoring framework.

Developed 33 key indicators to measure scheme stability and a report to track a 2-3 year trend against upper and lower ‘stability’ ranges for each of these indicators.

Continue to investigate and enhance scheme stability indicators.

Work with insurers to improve their data quality and to educate and inform them of data requirements and processes, error management and accountability.

Met regularly through the Data Reference group (insurer and Q-CoMp representatives). system errors stabilised at around 15.0 errors per thousand claims supplied (down from 25.7 in 05/06).

increase data quality with live data profiling.

Rehabilitation and return to work page 32

employers and insurers are encouraged and supported to improve return to work services and outcomes for injured workers.

extend consultation with unions, employers and other stakeholders, particularly about rehabilitation.

Developed consultation version of the Better practice in return to work guide. Release the workplace-based kits containing a poster, brochure and handy pocket guide in August 08.

Monitor outcomes from the employer performance and rehabilitation compliance program.

Monitored outcomes-approximately 90% of employers identified have workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures and a rehabilitation and return to work coordinator in place.

For employers developing workplace rehabilitation policies and procedures:

implement on-line accreditation•

provide training in • Comprehend.

improve return to work services and outcomes for injured workers. Developed a durable return to work initiative Return to work assist to help workers leaving the scheme without a job.

pilot Return to work assist in Brisbane south region and evaluate for possible expansion.

Our peoplepage 36

An environment that supports, recognises and coaches our people to achieve their full potential.

implement the customer service program and improved workflow management strategies.

Developed workflow management strategies and piloted them in the tribunal secretariat–to be rolled out to other areas in 08/09.

embed customer service and professionalism into our culture.

establish employee engagement program. implemented Qdos. expand employee engagement program –Qdos.

Refine performance management model and process. Developed Achievement planning to be commenced in 08/09. implement Achievement planning.

organised structured secondments, progression and development opportunities. Actively assist employees to manage their careers.

Deliver a career management program. Developed e-learning program, Comprehend induction modules for Q-CoMp employees. Develop more employee learning modules in Comprehend.

Customer service excellence–looking after our internal customerspage 42

our employees’ operational needs are met.

Develop and implement a knowledge management system. not completed. Further enhance Q-CoMp’s core system (QCs) database to enable workflow management and reporting.

Deliver customised web content for stakeholders though an electronic portal.

not completed. support implementation of new internet and intranet.

implement new content management system for website. not completed. Complete with new website go-live november 08.

Centralise administration and facilities management. Completed. evaluate centralised model.Build on recycling efforts investigate reducing our carbon footprint.

establish a dedicated internal legal advisory service. established legal services unit in August 07. Refine work processes and practices.Maintain the QWCDec database.

Governancepage 50

A high standard of governance, accountability, compliance and ethical behaviour, delivering quality regulatory services with a strong customer service focus.

Q-CoMp Board commit to ongoing improvement in governance practice and administration.

implemented Board and Chairman self-assessment. Review and publish Q-CoMp Code of conduct.

propose changes to the risk management program. Developed risk management new process. implement new risk management process.

Financespage 62

prudent financial management. Revise financial delegation and chart of accounts structures Completed. Actively manage reserves at set target rate.

Comprehensive training program for budget managers. Completed. Reduce 08/09 levy charge to insurers.

9q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 peRFoRMAnCe SnApSHot


Management and analysis of data and informationpage 30

Quality capture and meaningful analysis of data and intelligence on scheme trends and issues.

evaluate the effect of the fee review for allied health providers, anaesthetists and public hospitals.

not completed due to delayed availability of relevant statistics. evaluate the effect of the fee review for allied health providers, anaesthetists and public hospitals.

Further develop and implement the scheme-wide performance monitoring framework.

Developed 33 key indicators to measure scheme stability and a report to track a 2-3 year trend against upper and lower ‘stability’ ranges for each of these indicators.

Continue to investigate and enhance scheme stability indicators.

Work with insurers to improve their data quality and to educate and inform them of data requirements and processes, error management and accountability.

Met regularly through the Data Reference Group (insurer and Q-CoMp representatives). System errors stabilised at around 15.0 errors per thousand claims supplied (down from 25.7 in 05/06).

Increase data quality with live data profiling.

Rehabilitation and return to work page 32

employers and insurers are encouraged and supported to improve return to work services and outcomes for injured workers.

extend consultation with unions, employers and other stakeholders, particularly about rehabilitation.

Developed consultation version of the Better practice in return to work guide. Release the workplace-based kits containing a poster, brochure and handy pocket guide in August 08.

Monitor outcomes from the employer performance and rehabilitation compliance program.

Monitored outcomes-approximately 90% of employers identified have workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures and a rehabilitation and return to work coordinator in place.

For employers developing workplace rehabilitation policies and procedures:

implement on-line accreditation•

provide training in • Comprehend.

Improve return to work services and outcomes for injured workers. Developed a durable return to work initiative Return to work assist to help workers leaving the scheme without a job.

pilot Return to work assist in Brisbane South region and evaluate for possible expansion.

Our peoplepage 36

An environment that supports, recognises and coaches our people to achieve their full potential.

Implement the customer service program and improved workflow management strategies.

Developed workflow management strategies and piloted them in the tribunal Secretariat–to be rolled out to other areas in 08/09.

embed customer service and professionalism into our culture.

establish employee engagement program. Implemented Qdos. expand employee engagement program –Qdos.

Refine performance management model and process. Developed Achievement planning to be commenced in 08/09. Implement Achievement planning.

organised structured secondments, progression and development opportunities. Actively assist employees to manage their careers.

Deliver a career management program. Developed e-learning program, Comprehend induction modules for Q-CoMp employees. Develop more employee learning modules in Comprehend.

Customer service excellence–looking after our internal customerspage 42


Develop and implement a knowledge management system. not completed. Further enhance Q-CoMp’s core system (QCS) database to enable workflow management and reporting.

Deliver customised web content for stakeholders though an electronic portal.

not completed. Support implementation of new internet and intranet.

Implement new content management system for website. not completed. Complete with new website go-live november 08.

Centralise administration and facilities management. Completed. evaluate centralised model.Build on recycling efforts investigate reducing our carbon footprint.

establish a dedicated internal legal advisory service. established legal Services unit in August 07. Refine work processes and practices.Maintain the QWCDec database.

Governancepage 50

A high standard of governance, accountability, compliance and ethical behaviour, delivering quality regulatory services with a strong customer service focus.

Q-CoMp Board commit to ongoing improvement in governance practice and administration.

Implemented Q-CoMp Board and Chairman self-assessment. Review and publish Q-CoMp Code of conduct.

propose changes to the risk management program. Developed risk management new process. Implement new risk management process.

Financespage 62

prudent financial management. Revise financial delegation and chart of accounts structures Completed. Actively manage reserves at set target rate.

Comprehensive training program for budget managers. Completed. Reduce 08/09 levy charge to insurers.

Achieved Ongoing Not achieved

10

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 nAtionAl issues

Outcome

Actively contribute to the development of queensland’s approach to the national reform agenda for workers’ compensation, and promote the positive aspects of the queensland scheme.

Major achievementsQ-CoMp commissioned Finity Consulting in

January 07 to:

assess and compare the Queensland scheme benefit •

structure with the major state schemes and federal

insurer Comcare

assess the costs and benefits of the dispute resolution •

processes in the Queensland scheme compared to the

major state schemes and Comcare.

We released the Finity report to scheme stakeholders in

mid-July 07 at a series of presentations to union, employer,

insurer and provider groups.

Future prioritiesAssist stakeholders to understand the Queensland •

scheme’s strengths.

Advise on the implications of any initiatives for nationally •

consistent schemes that arise.

Continue to work closely with the Department of •

employment and industrial Relations, Workplace health

and safety Queensland and WorkCover Queensland.

National issues

A streamlined workers’ compensation and workplace health and safety scheme is on the national agenda.

Developing and implementing consistent workers’

compensation and occupational health and safety

arrangements across Australia would minimise regulatory

duplication, reduce administrative and compliance costs

and barriers to national markets in goods, services and

labour mobility. this is an attractive proposition to

many businesses.

A change of federal government in late 07 saw a moratorium placed on national private sector employers exiting the state compensation schemes and joining the national Comcare scheme.

the federal government commissioned consultant actuary

Martin Fry to assist with its review of private sector access

to the Comcare scheme. Mr Fry has advised the federal

government to enable simpler private sector employer

access to the Comcare scheme. the federal government is

yet to release its response to the review.

Q-CoMp’s role is to assist the Queensland government and

our scheme stakeholders to understand the Queensland

scheme’s strengths and the implications of any initiatives

for nationally consistent schemes that arise.

in particular, we work closely with the Department of

employment and industrial Relations, Workplace health

and safety Queensland and WorkCover Queensland to

coordinate and improve the service offering to our

mutual customers.

Q-COMP CEO Elizabeth Woods ensured we took a lead role in researching and promoting the Queensland scheme and informing stakeholders.

11q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 nAtionAl issues

08 Modelled total benefits by state

Modelling shows that Queensland claims would cost less if other scheme’s

benefits were applied. this is a surprising result, indicating that the low

Queensland cost is not driven by low benefit levels.

note: not all differences modelled

09 proportion of claims with a dispute

see Appendix 1 page 67 for important information to be read with this

figure. Disputes are a proportion of annual claims.

note: Average proportion of disputes for years 2004–2005 and

2005–2006.

source: Comparative Monitoring Report (CpM): eighth edition

september 2006.

FeatureQueensland workers’ compensation scheme

An unbiased assessment of the queensland workers’ compensation scheme

the emergence of potential national compensation schemes

as alternatives to the state compensation schemes creates

a situation of competing interests relating to the costs of

workers’ compensation premiums, the amount of benefits

available for injured workers and regulatory costs of

competing national and state schemes. in this environment

Q-CoMp commissioned Finity Consulting to assess and

compare the Queensland scheme benefit structure and

dispute resolution processes with Comcare and the major

schemes of other states.

the Finity report was released to scheme stakeholders in

mid-July 07 at a series of presentations to union, employer,

insurer and provider groups.

the key conclusions drawn by the Finity report about the

Queensland scheme are:

Queensland claimants would receive the greatest total 1.

compensation under the Queensland benefit rules when

compared with the major state schemes and Comcare.

if Queensland claimants were paid Comcare benefits 2.

they would be paid 20% less in total compensation

(assuming Queensland durations).

if the claims were paid under the Victorian or new 3.

south Wales benefit schemes they would receive

approximately 4% less in total compensation

(assuming Queensland durations).

All types of disputes in the Queensland scheme are dealt 4.

with quickly.

in Queensland, a high proportion of insurer decisions are 5.

confirmed by Q-CoMp at the review stage.

A high proportion of Q-CoMp review decisions are 6.

confirmed at appeal.

Queensland has relatively low non-resolution rates in 7.

the review and appeal process.

the Queensland dispute resolution process appears to 8.

be inexpensive.

the Finity report provided valuable and unbiased

information for the state government submission to the

federal government enquiry into national private sector

self-insurance in the Comcare scheme.

20

15

QlD ViC WAComcare tAssAnsW

Aver

age

prop

ortio

n of

dis

pute

s (%

)

scheme

0

5

10

($M

)

QlD ViC Comcare nsW0

200

400

600

800

1,000

12

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 ChAiRMAn’s RepoRt

it is with great pleasure that i report Q-CoMp’s

achievements for 07/08. this year has seen a consolidation

of the customer service restructure that commenced last

year and initial findings from our recent customer research

show outstanding positive changes in customer perceptions

of Q-CoMp.

Much of this was attributed to the new leadership approach

and i commend Ceo elizabeth Woods and the Q-CoMp

Management group for their foresight in restructuring

the business to better meet customer needs and creating

a work environment that enables Q-CoMp employees to

provide a higher level of professional customer service.

A streamlined workers’ compensation and workplace health and safety scheme is on the national agenda (see page 10).

Many businesses see consistent workers’ compensation

and occupational health and safety arrangements across

Australia as an attractive proposition for a number of

reasons. Recent independent customer research of our

insurers found there is ‘interest in a harmonised national

(workers’ compensation) scheme but Queensland is seen

as superior’. in fact, our insurers have a ‘high regard’ for the

Queensland scheme and report that we are ‘easier to deal

with compared to other jurisdictional regulators’.

the Rudd government placed a moratorium on national

private sector employers exiting the state compensation

schemes to join Comcare and commissioned an actuarial

review. We will monitor the federal government’s response

to this review, which advised them to enable simpler private

sector employer access to Comcare, for any effect this

might have on the Queensland workers’

compensation scheme.

Q-COMP is assisting the Queensland Government and our scheme stakeholders to understand the Queensland scheme’s strengths and the implications of any initiatives for nationally consistent schemes that arise.

the emergence of potential national compensation schemes

as an alternative to the state compensation schemes

creates a situation of competing interests. employers

are focused on the cost of their workers’ compensation

premiums; for injured workers it is the amount of benefits

available; for competing national and state schemes there

are the regulatory costs. in this environment Q-CoMp

commissioned Finity Consulting to assess and compare

the Queensland scheme benefit structure and dispute

resolution processes with the major state schemes and

federal insurer Comcare.

I was pleased that Q-COMP took a lead role in releasing the Finity report to union, employer, insurer and provider groups mid-July 07.

the key conclusions drawn by the Finity report confirmed

that the Queensland workers’ compensation scheme is

in good shape (see page 11). through the Finity report,

Q-CoMp provided valuable and unbiased information

for the Queensland government submission to the federal

government enquiry into national private sector

Chairman’s report

Paul Braddy Chairman

13q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 ChAiRMAn’s RepoRt

self-insurance in the Comcare scheme. it was an important

opportunity for Q-CoMp to promote the Queensland

workers’ compensation scheme.

The board is well into its second three-year term, which expires on 30 June 2009.

the four members appointed in 2006 who remain on

the board are Deputy Chairman Mr peter henneken,

Director-general of the Department of employment and

industrial Relations; Mr patrick McKendry, Chief executive

officer of Careers Australia; Dr Beres Wenck, a general

medical practitioner in private practice; and myself as

Chairman. notably, with the exception of Mr McKendry,

these directors have been on the Q-CoMp Board since its

inception in 2003.

Continuing on the board from his appointment last year is

Mr Chris Rodwell, Queensland Director of the Australian

industry group. this year i welcomed to the board Mr

tom Jeffers, Queensland Vice-president of the Australian

Workers’ union and Ms Amanda Richards, Assistant general

secretary of the Queensland Council of unions.

the composition of the board balances skills and experience

with appropriate representation of our employer, worker

and government stakeholder interests.

The board met with the Queensland Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurers’ Association (QWCSIA) in August 07, our Minister, the Honourable John Mickel in October 07, the Medical Assessment Tribunal (MAT) Chairs in May 08 and the Workplace Health and Safety Board in June 08.

these meetings provide a forum for scheme stakeholders to

discuss topical issues, initiatives and other items of interest

with the board. the board discussed the overall good

performance of self-insurers with QWCsiA and the findings

from the Finity actuarial study (see page 11).

topics of interest at our meeting with the MAt chairs

included the ‘legal Requirements of Reasons for Decisions’

training, the new Tribunal members’ manual and an update

on the evaluation of the American Medical Association

Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment,

6th Edition (AMA 6) (see page 29).

At our meeting with the Workplace health and safety

Board, we shared information about Q-CoMp’s return

to work initiative (now known as Return to work assist

featured on page 34) and discussed AMA 6. Members from

the Workplace health and safety Board spoke about the

new Workhealth pilot program and the industry-wide Zero

harm campaign, designed to encourage cultural change

and promote the concept that all workers should expect to

return home unharmed from their places of employment.

Both boards agreed that much value was gained

from meeting as a group and sharing information and

experiences. Agreement was reached on the benefits of

meeting annually and it was suggested the next meeting be

held early in the first quarter of 2009 at which time we will

provide a comprehensive update on Return to work assist.

The Q-COMP Board is committed to the ongoing improvement of its corporate governance practice and administration, with a focus this year on board performance and risk management.

to meet this commitment, we evaluated the board’s

performance and my performance through a self-assessment

rating process (see page 52). the performance areas

reviewed included role clarity, strategy, Ceo evaluation

process, monitoring, risk management, compliance, policy

framework, decision-making, effective governance,

board dynamics, meeting processes, committee structure,

stakeholder relations and board processes. the evaluation

results reported to the Ceo were positive in all but four

questions, which were then actioned for improvement.

in April 08 a paper was presented to the Audit and Risk

Management Committee (a standing committee of the

board) confirming that a new approach for identifying and

managing risks had been introduced. the Committee raised

concerns about the approach and as a result an enhanced

program was developed and will be implemented in 08/09

(see page 56).

these improvements will ensure greater disclosure and

transparency to the Committee and ultimately the board.

i again acknowledge our stakeholders for their participation

in scheme issues and activities throughout the year.

My fellow directors and i are pleased with their positive

response to Q-CoMp’s efforts to engage them in initiatives

which will benefit all scheme participants.

i thank the Q-CoMp directors and all Q-CoMp employees

for their enthusiasm and dedication. Q-CoMp has delivered

a sound financial position, measurable customer service

improvements, support for the Queensland government’s

position on national issues and an environment that

supports its people to achieve. that’s what i call a good

year and i look forward to working with you all in 08/09.

paul Braddy

Chairman

14

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 ChieF eXeCutiVe’s RepoRt

‘Yes, of course, why not’ was the catch-phrase for 07/08 – a year of consolidating and refining the restructure commenced in the previous year to achieve improved customer service.

i wanted to ensure that the changes were not merely

structural, but were about embedding customer service

into the way we do business and, even more importantly,

into our culture. i welcomed five new managers to our

Q-CoMp Management group (QMg), with two of these

being internal appointments. the initial focus for the new

managers was establishing their teams – putting the right

people in the right place.

some new roles were designed, building on the key skills

required to provide services to our customers. Without

increasing actual employee numbers, we realigned

resources to provide more effective service. this especially

applied to our Review unit and our creation of the legal

services unit (see page 43).

I am happy with the practical and responsible way we managed our finances in 07/08 (see page 62).

We decided early in 07/08 to run in deficit and reduce the

levy charged to WorkCover and the self-insurers while

continuing improvements in customer service. We will

continue to manage our reserves carefully and ensure that

they remain within our target range of between 6.25% and

10% of annual turnover.

in 08/09, we expect that employee expenses will rise,

although permanent employee numbers will remain

relatively stable. Any increased investment in training and

development and enterprise bargaining will be balanced by

keeping increases in other operating costs low. We expect

to spend more on the grants for workplace health and

safety and to increase public awareness of the workers’


We have concentrated on providing our employees with the tools of trade necessary for them to do their job effectively and efficiently (see page 43).

We are developing new quality management systems for

managing workflows. Following successful trials in the

tribunal secretariat, we’ll roll out similar systems to our

Review and Appeals units. the templates developed and

technical assistance provided for these core service areas

have resulted in the delivery of a more consistent and

professional product to our customers.

We provided dual computer screens for employees in

key areas to enable simultaneous e-file management

and system access without the need for paper copies.

We upgraded design and publication software in our

Communications unit and provided training for more

efficient in-house production of information for

stakeholders and we will be looking at upgrading hardware

in the coming year. We are also developing our new

interactive intranet which will go live late in 08.

Chief Executive’s report

Elizabeth WoodsChief Executive Officer

15q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 ChieF eXeCutiVe’s RepoRt

the Brisbane south pilot is successful, we will extend the

program throughout Queensland.

interestingly, our independent research findings showed that

rehabilitation and return to work is an issue currently on the

minds of insurers, medical and allied health stakeholders,

and employers and unions. our Minister understands the

importance of effective rehabilitation and return to work, and

i consider the time ideal for action and for Q-CoMp to foster

the collaboration needed to make this pilot a success.

We stepped into the electronic age this year with our new e-learning program, Comprehend, with free courses for external stakeholders and employees to train on-line where and when it suits them (see page 18).

the major advantage of Comprehend is our ability to

reach many more people than we can with seminars and

workshops alone. this year we released modules for

medical practitioners and our employees. in the coming

year, we’ll add courses to our catalogue such as training for

employers in developing workplace rehabilitation policies

and procedures, as well as on-line policy and procedures

accreditation and rehabilitation and return to work

coordinator registration. We’ll increase our e-business focus

in 08/09, with our new website due to go live in november

08. i am passionate about Return to work assist and

Comprehend and i am looking forward to developing these

and our other projects further.

My focus for 08/09 is to embed customer service and professionalism into Q-COMP’s culture and to continue to strengthen the tri-partite relationship between Q-COMP, the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations and WorkCover Queensland.

i acknowledge paul Braddy and our board members for their

efforts and support throughout my first full year as Ceo.

i thank my management colleagues who have come

together as a strong leadership team and our people who

have embraced our customer service culture.

organisational change is never without its challenges but

i am pleased that we were able to bring our people along

with us. i often walk around and talk to employees and

the change is visible – people are happier and Q-CoMp is

a more fulfilling and productive place to work. We are all

looking forward to an exciting year ahead, providing quality

and professional service to our customers and stakeholders.

elizabeth Woods

Ceo

I want our people to see us as their ‘employer of choice’ and this is a key strategic issue for 08/09 (see page 36).

Being an employer of choice means recognising employees

for their contribution and expertise and ensuring that they

have the opportunity to continue to develop and achieve

their full potential. our initiatives include:

flexible work life balance options•

an open and transparent reward and recognition program•

employee training and development (including •

conferences and seminars)

expanding on career development and management •

opportunities by targeting our high achievers

structured external secondments•

coaching and development for individuals as part of our •

succession planning.

We provide opportunities for employees from different business areas to work together on team-based projects of strategic significance to our business and I see it as a win-win for our people and Q-COMP (see page 39).

our inaugural emerging leaders Development program

(elDp) ran from July to november 07 with nine employees

successfully graduating in December 07. this program has

delivered projects about improving customer service and

performance management.

our customer service program continues to develop

and includes customer service champion groups and

‘moment mapping’, and employee training. We initiated a

new achievement planning process (replacing the former

performance management process) which encourages

regular, constructive feedback and ownership by the

individual employees member.

the second elDp will see another nine employees graduate

later this year with projects focusing on professionalism.

One of the really exciting projects for us in 07/08 was the two-year pilot program Q-COMP developed in cooperation with WorkCover Queensland and the scheme’s self-insured employers (see page 34).

Return to work assist will help injured workers who may

have an adverse return to work outcome to access the

programs and services they need for a successful return to

work. WorkCover Queensland has provided experienced

Customer service Centre Manager, sonia Minniecon on

secondment to develop and manage the program and if

16

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 stAKeholDeR RelAtionships AnD AWAReness

Building robust business relationships with our stakeholders underpins the improvement of q-comp’s performance.

Outcome

Consolidate and continue to develop and enhance

relationships between workers’ compensation stakeholders.

Major achievements

permanent impairment assessment workshops for •

Queensland doctors, insurers and legal practitioners in

July 07 sponsored in partnership with the Motor

Accident insurance Commission and conducted by

professor Ranavaya (see page 29).

Met regularly with WorkCover Queensland and the •

24 self-insurers in the scheme to discuss performance

issues, give service feedback and develop cooperative

approaches to scheme issues.

Acquired and developed on-line learning program, •

Comprehend, to provide a basis for developing customer

training that would be accessible across metropolitan

and regional Queensland.

Rebranded – with a fresh, open, uncluttered, ‘plain •

english’ and transparent style on publications.

Developed and published a rolling quarterly series of •

newsletters to specific customers – Rehabilitation

Report, Health Report, Insurer Report and Medical

Assessment Tribunals Quarterly Report.

improved customer service focus across the business •

leading to a redeveloped and more rigorous customer

survey program for Q-CoMp.

Future priorities

Release more • Comprehend training packages for doctors,

allied health providers, employers and rehabilitation and

return to work coordinators online.

new website design for easier access to resources •

for stakeholders.

new intranet to provide Q-CoMp employees with easy •

access to business and other useful information.

strengthening our customer service culture.•

Stakeholder relationships and awareness

Health Services team members Angela McLeod and Jason Cameron are improving the customer service experience for medical and allied health professionals.

17q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 stAKeholDeR RelAtionships AnD AWAReness

Early in 07/08, Q-COMP’s customer service restructure focused our priorities and the way we do business.

this will assist us to meet the needs of stakeholders

while ensuring a fair, balanced and efficient workers’


one of the key strategies of the restructure was the

formation of the Customer service group to deliver:

insurer licensing, compliance and •

performance monitoring

rehabilitation compliance and advice•

corporate governance and risk management•

communication, education and information.•

the group is now established and well on the way towards

delivering quality customer service with a philosophy of

‘yes, of course, why not!’

We recruited our first round of customer service champions, a very enthusiastic and hard working group of employees.

they have been undergoing training and carrying out

the process of moment mapping in their units. Moment

mapping identifies key business processes and customer

interactions within those processes. it then evaluates the

interactions and provides an opportunity to analyse and

suggest recommendations for improved customer service.

the moment mapping process is a valuable exercise and it

is part of a multi-faceted approach to building a customer

service culture. the moment maps, by their nature, are

process oriented and are an important step in establishing

the overall service culture. the customer service champions

implement recommendations from the moment mapping

with support from their colleagues. our first group of

champions came up with a list of 32 process improvements

to enhance our customer service.

the next phase will involve recruiting more champions and

customer service training for all employees.

Meet Customer service Champion Deb Clow on page 21.

Q-COMP publications, corporate stationery and marketing material are sporting a fresh look, the result of redefining our brand to position Q-COMP as a modern and progressive organisation.

the streamlined cog design, a clean and uncluttered look,

and images of people and employees in publications and

advertisements reflects Q-CoMp’s strong customer focus.

With the new design opening up our documents and making

them more accessible, we have also adopted plain english

writing techniques – words are as important to a brand

as the visual elements and everything we write sends a

message to our stakeholders. We want to convey openness,

honesty and concern for the reader and build trust and

respect in Q-CoMp.

our intranet redevelopment, due for completion in

november 08, reflects the new brand design and

philosophy. employees contributed suggestions for

inclusions on the new site which will be more accessible and

user-friendly, meeting their needs for business and other

useful information.

Q-COMP’s new customer research program integrates into each unit’s normal business management.

the program includes activities and methodologies to

measure relationship, process and service quality. Following

consultation and needs analysis, the program commenced in

May 08 with qualitative sensing interviews of stakeholders

including insurers, the Department of employment and

industrial Relations, union and employer peak bodies and

medical and allied health associations.

independent researcher sarah hare reported that the initial

results are positive – ‘stakeholders in 08 are very impressed

about the progress Q-CoMp has made in developing a

customer service culture across the organisation. this is

possibly the most significant change in the development of

Q-CoMp over the past eight years.’

“We are challenging past perceptions

of Q-COMP with our strong customer

service focus. Q-COMP is certainly

not a ‘traditional regulator’–our review,

appeals and medical assessment

services make us different. We are a

service provider.”

– Elizabeth Woods CEO

18


the research program will continue in 08/09 with:

an in-house computer kiosk survey of injured workers •

after their tribunal appointment

an online survey of rehabilitation and return to •

work coordinators

ongoing online survey of review applicants (workers and •

employers) who will be invited to participate following

receipt of their decision.

Q-COMP is developing a new modern, user-friendly and dynamic website due to go-live in October 08.

this is part of our commitment to providing a better

customer service experience. the current image of the

website is that it is difficult to navigate, time-consuming for

customers, contains a primitive search engine and doesn’t

reflect the corporate brand. Customers contact us looking

for information available on the website but too difficult to

find. We are building a website that:

customers want to visit because it’s easier than making •

a phone call

is in line with Q-CoMp’s corporate brand and •

strategic direction

stakeholders find useful and practical•

meets current accessibility and useability standards.•

Achieving these objectives will create a simpler resource

for customers to use and will reduce unnecessary contact

about website useability. the reduction in queries

about the website will also have a positive impact on

the effectiveness and efficiency of Q-CoMp and its

stakeholders. the new website is supported by a content

management system allowing units to write and maintain

their own content with seamless electronic approvals

and publishing.

As well as improving usability, we will be trialling ‘real time’

online questions and answers, giving our customers and

stakeholders access to Q-CoMp employees directly from

their computer during business hours.

External stakeholders will benefit from Q-COMP’s new e-learning program, Comprehend – courses are free and users can train on-line where and when it suits them.

previously, these courses were only available as seminars

or workshops, limiting the number of people we could

reach. Comprehend has a range of capabilities including

assessment tools, collaboration tools such as discussion

forums, surveys and event calendars and training

management tools such as course administration and

attendance records.

Q-CoMp developed the first release of Comprehend as

external courses in consultation with medical practitioners

and specialists involved in the Queensland workers’

compensation scheme. the useful and relevant content

will assist medical practitioners to have a rewarding and

efficient interaction with injured workers. Comprehend’s

practical courses aim to answer medical practitioner

questions about their role and how to work effectively

in the Queensland workers’ compensation scheme.

importantly, the courses show medical practitioners how

to be involved in helping injured workers a safely as well as

knowing where to go to have their questions answered and

how to get help.

Access Comprehend on the Q-CoMp website at

www.qcomp.com.au or at www.comprehend.com.au.

Senior Insurer Advisor Sue Fergusson looks after one of our major stakeholders, WorkCover Queensland.

Senior Education Advisor Nerida Day sourced and managed the implementation of Comprehend.


In March 08, the Queensland Workers’ Compensation Self-insurers’ Association (QWCSIA) marked the 10th Anniversary of self-insurance in Queensland with a two-day conference focused on sustainable return to work outcomes.

QWCsiA also unveiled its new logo and direction

– striving for better outcomes. All major stakeholders were

represented and provided insight about the past, present

and future of the Queensland scheme with a view to

achieving sustainable return to work outcomes.

the parliamentary secretary to Minister for transport,

trade, employment and industrial Relations gary Fenlon

opened the conference by highlighting the strengths

of the Queensland system and the commitment of the

government to sustainable return to work outcomes.

presentations from AMA Queensland president Dr Ross

Cartmill and the Australian lawyers Alliance state president

simon Morrison were well received with their comments

mirroring QWCsiA’s position that all stakeholders need

to learn more about the issues facing injured workers

and to work together to achieve the best outcomes for

all concerned.

Q-CoMp senior insurer Advisor, Ron Weinert, gave

a historical account of the past 10 years of workers’

compensation self-insurance in Queensland and Ceo

elizabeth Woods spoke about our focus on strong business

relationships and customer service, and outlined some

future self-insurer initiatives. elizabeth also presented

the Q-CoMp – commissioned return to work survey

results and Q-CoMp’s durable return to work initiative

– Return to work assist (see page 34).

Another issue highlighted at the conference was the need

to understand the psychosocial issues that impact on

outcomes and for improved communication with injured

workers by all stakeholders. QWCsiA has planned a seminar

on improving negotiation skills with injured workers and

medical providers and a one-day conference on the

seamless transition between rehabilitation and health

management for 08/09.

Our new Health Services Unit, created in August 07, has improved the customer service experience for medical and allied health professionals.

they’ve done this by increasing stakeholder interaction and

involvement, and providing education and information.

the biannual Allied health Committee meeting brings

together representatives from all allied health bodies to

discuss the scheme, raise current issues with Q-CoMp

and WorkCover Queensland and increase Q-CoMp’s

stakeholder engagement.

We delivered presentations to various organisations and

groups – by request or initiated by us – on the workers’

compensation scheme, Q-CoMp’s role and how to best use

the scheme within their own organisation. these included

presentations to medical students and hospital registrars;

international Medical graduates (at Medicare Australia)

preparing for general practice; third and fourth year allied

health undergraduates at universities – e.g. physiotherapy,

occupational therapy.

During 07/08 we also:

developed two on-line training modules in • Comprehend

for allied health professionals and medical practitioners

coordinated the development of current • Clinical

guidelines for the Queensland workers’ compensation

scheme which are now online on our website

developed an on-line electronic medical certificate •

available from our website. We are negotiating with

software companies to include the certificate in practice

software, reducing reliance on printing by

medical practices

published • Health Report, a new quarterly newsletter for

allied health professionals

established a dedicated heath services 1300 number •

for medical practitioners and allied health professionals

published comprehensive information on our website, •

including tables of costs and guidelines

indexed the • Allied health tables of costs to current Cpi

on 30 June 08 – the last full fee review was held

in 07

indexed the • Medical table of costs in november 07 – we

are currently undertaking a full fee review in consultation

with medical bodies and their representatives

Health Services Officer Jason Cameron and Medical Advisor Dr Chris Cunneen fly the flag at a recent Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) conference.

20


administered an annual grant to the Queensland •

Ambulance service (QAs) to cover insurers’ costs

for pre-hospital patient care and ambulance transport

of injured workers. the grant paid in 07/08 was

$3.0 million (06/07: $2.8million). QAs grant fees

increased in line with Cpi and number of patient

transports matched.

Q-COMP monitored the effects to changes in allied health fees and tables of costs at regular intervals throughout the year.

the most significant change was uptake of the

communication item introduced into the supplementary

schedule in July 07 to encourage direct communication

(phone, fax, e-mail) between providers, insurers, medical

practitioners and employers about issues relating to return

to work and treatment.

the objective was to assist insurers and other parties

to resolve barriers to return to work through shared

understanding of rehabilitation strategies. the uptake of

the communication item corresponded with a significant

reduction in the amount of time spent on formal written

reports. the number of workdays lost by injured workers

reduced by almost half over 07/08 but it is difficult to

attribute this to any single initiative.

in october 07, a memorandum of understanding was

reached between Q-CoMp, WorkCover Queensland and

Queensland health to guide fee indexation of public hospital

inpatient and emergency services until 30 June 2010.

the evaluation of fees and costs to the scheme has not

occurred due to delayed availability of relevant statistics.

likewise, the effect of the fee review for anaesthetists has

not been independently evaluated.

Our focus for 08/09 is on relationship building – we want informed providers that are actively engaged in the scheme.

Q-CoMp promotes effective health service delivery

through table of costs that fairly reimburse providers.

We educate providers and other relevant bodies about

the scheme and promote quality service delivery for

rehabilitation outcomes for workers. We will continue to

promote on-line learning and develop new Comprehend

education modules and source opportunities to present

education and information to providers.

As the scheme regulator, Q-COMP needs to maintain its focus on insurer performance and compliance, ensuring they apply the Act consistently and fairly.

our Insurer performance management program (ipMp)

assists insurers to meet their obligations under the Act,

measuring performance against key elements including:

targeted audits at licence renewal and as required•

annual insurer self-assessment reports and action plans•

stakeholder survey results•

performance trends (e.g. claims decision timeframes) •

from insurer and Q-CoMp data

monitoring issues and complaints (see Figure 10).•

Q-CoMp reports on insurer performance and compliance

through individual quarterly assessments (Insurer

risk profile) and a six-monthly board update. insurer

performance was rated as consistently high in 07/08.

Q-COMP assists insurers to improve performance, working closely with them to provide targeted training and information through workshops, site meetings and the Insurer Report.

this year’s workshop topics included:

permanent impairment training with Dr Ranavaya •

(see page 29)

the • Finity report (see page 10)

referral of potential fraud cases to Q-CoMp’s legal •

services unit

physical and psychosocial factors affecting injured •

workers and their return to work.

to create a better understanding between insurers and

Q-CoMp and foster more open discussion, the insurer

advisors have invited Q-CoMp officers to accompany them

to their regular meetings with self-insurers. these include

representatives from the tribunal secretariat, Review unit,

legal services unit, data liaison and health services. We

have also developed a closer working relationship with

Workplace health and safety Queensland and taken a

representative to a number of the insurer meetings. insurer

feedback from workshops and visits has been very positive

and Q-CoMp employees have also reported the visits as

beneficial from both a relationship building and

learning perspective.


licence remains open for 12 months after exit date to

manage any open claims. the national Australia Bank exited

to Comcare on 13 April 07, and their licence was cancelled

on 13 April 08. the Commonwealth Bank of Australia exited

on 31 March 08 and their licence will be cancelled on

30 March 2009.

Meet Q-COMP Customer Service Champion Deb Clow

Deb has only been with Q-CoMp as a tribunal officer

since December 07 but she has a long history of providing

excellent customer service and quickly put her hand up to

be a customer service champion.

Deb says her background has always been working in

customer service. “i know this sounds cliché but i am really

passionate about making the experience a positive one for

our customers and excelling to meet their needs,” she says.

Deb completed two moment maps on the experience of

an injured worker attending a tribunal. the first mapped

the physical experience and the second looked at the

emotional experience. As a result of Deb’s work, a number

of improvements have already been put into

place including:

reducing the length of time the worker hasn’t heard •

from us (‘white space’) to ensure the worker is kept

informed. this helps make the worker feel more relaxed

and confident about the process, as at times there can

be a high level of anxiety

making the process more personal by having the tribunal •

officer or Coordinator who has worked on the worker’s

file prior to the appointment, make the courtesy call.

Deb says she really enjoyed the Customer service

Champion program. “on many occasions i have experienced

really, really bad customer service, so i always ensure that it

doesn’t happen with any of our customers,” she says. “Being

a customer service champion let me share ideas and work

with a group of people who are just as enthusiastic as i am,

which made it a worthwhile and positive experience.”

Q-COMP licences the self-insurers who manage about 10% of workers’ compensation claims in Queensland – WorkCover Queensland manages the remaining 90% of claims.

At 30 June 08, there were 24 self-insurance licences

(06/07: 25) covering 236 employers (06/07: 290). For a

list of individual companies and self-insurance licences visit

www.qcomp.com.au.

Q-CoMp renewed two self-insurer licences and issued

one new self-insurance licence (see Appendix 3

self-insurer licences). Q-CoMp also manages the

exit of the self-insurers from the Queensland workers’

compensation scheme to Comcare (federal workers’

compensation scheme). under the Act, an exiting insurer’s

Workers and employers

Q-COMP Performance

Management Program

performance standards and benchmarks for all •

insurers focused on rehabilitation and

claims management

Q-CoMp monitoring of performance trends •

from insurer data and Q-CoMp data

insurer self-assessment report and action •

plans annually

Claims officer qualifications•

stakeholder surveys•

provide insurers with annual •

performance reports

targeted Q-CoMp audits as required and •

at renewal

Annual prudential supervisions program for •

self-insurers

licensing program for self-insurers•

Insurers

Rehabilitation and claims systems •

and employees

Management systems and employees •

self-assessment plan•

10insurer performance management program framework

22

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | ReVieW AnD AppeAls

Workers, employers or claimants who disagree with an insurer’s decision may request q-comp to conduct an independent review of the decision. In a separate unit, q-comp also manages appeals of these review decisions.

Outcome

our customers understand and have confidence in

Q-CoMp’s review decision and appeals management

processes and outcomes.

Major achievements

processed 2,381 review applications from workers and •

employers (06/07: 2,150).

Decided 2,138 review applications (06/07: 1,781).•

Maintained quality and consistency of decision-making: •

only 3.3% of review decisions were changed at appeal.

Finalised 337 appeals (06/07: 351) – 237 appeals to •

the industrial Magistrate’s Court and 100 appeals to the

Queensland industrial Relations Commission.

Resolved 76.0% of finalised appeals before reaching •

court. of these, the appellant withdrew in 80.5% of

cases and Q-CoMp settled or conceded 19.5%.

Future priorities

Develop new workflow management system for review.•

Maintain Q-CoMp’s reputation as a model litigant.•

promote high levels of ethical and professional behaviour.•

provide challenging projects that encourage and support •

personal and professional development.

Disseminate information to stakeholders.•

Q-CoMp’s review process is a non-adversarial

administrative review of certain workers’ compensation

insurer decisions. it is not a court process or a re-

investigation of the matter. under the Workers’

Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (the Act), a

worker, employer or claimant can apply to us for a review

of certain insurer decisions within three months of receiving

the insurer’s decision – we provide this service free.

(note: applicants pay for anyone they engage to help

prepare the application.)

our review officers are trained in making quality decisions

based on:

all relevant documentation submitted to support •

the application

information from the insurer’s file•

relevant case law•

the Act, including the objects as set out in sections •

4, 5 and 6.

Customer service excellence review and appeals

Glen Fields provides professional and customer-focused reviews of decisions made by Queensland workers’ compensation insurers.

23q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | ReVieW AnD AppeAls

In July 07, 47% of review decisions

were within the 25 day statutory

timeframe, improving to 87% at

the end of June 08. (The Act allows

Q-COMP to grant an extension if a

party wishes to provide additional

information and these are excluded

from these percentages.)

The review officer contacts the applicant to discuss their application and the option of a ‘right of appearance’.

of the 2,138 reviews decided in 07/08, 19.4% of

applicants (414) arranged a right of appearance

(06/07: 17.7%, 316).

this discussion, either face-to-face or by telephone, helps

resolve the matter in a non-threatening, non-legal way. the

applicant can provide additional information to the review

officer, or point out particular issues or knowledge they

have about their case. Applicants can bring legal or non-

legal representatives, or a relative or friend for support.

Before making a decision, the review officer discloses any

new information relevant to their response and adverse

to an affected party (worker, employer, insurer or other).

Q-CoMp may also set aside an insurer’s decision and

return it with directions (section 545, the Act). in 07/08,

Q-CoMp set aside and returned 249 decisions to insurers

with directions.

An employer, worker or claimant who is not happy with

Q-CoMp’s review decision may appeal to the industrial

Magistrates Court or Queensland industrial Relations

Commission (QiRC) within 20 business days of receiving

the review decision. they can then appeal to the industrial

Court if they are unhappy with the Court or QiRC decision.

Review Unit experienced a noticeable workload increase due to legislative changes commencing 1 January 08.

these changes reduced the timeframe to decide a statutory

claim from 60 and 40 business days for psychiatric and

physical claims respectively, to 20 business days for all

statutory claims.

other factors affecting unit workloads and

timeframes included:

increased right of appearance requests•

case law requiring additional steps to be taken in order to •

provide procedural fairness

talking to employers where the applicant was a worker•

natural justice requirements.•

A dedicated overflow mechanism, increased staffing and

improved reporting has assisted review officers to manage

their workflow and make quality decisions.

Our Review Unit focused on providing timely and quality review decisions in a professional manner, and through excellent customer service.

A number of initiatives were implemented in 07/08:

We established a legal panel to support the •

Review Unit.

From a tender process, five solicitors were appointed

from Dibbs Abbott stillman; Mcinnes Wilson; hBM

lawyers; and Bruce thomas lawyers. We assigned

an account manager (review officer) to each of the

appointed solicitors to refer files, pay accounts, provide

performance feedback and handle operational issues

including updates on case law and our work practices.

We built relationships with major state •

government departments. our Review Manager

met with Queensland police service; Queensland

health; Department of education, training and the

Arts; Disability services Queensland; Department of

Communities; and Department of Main Roads to discuss

how Q-CoMp could improve its review performance,

especially with customer service. the one common

issue was release of the Application for Review and

submissions, which we receive from department

workers. Q-CoMp has obtained a Standing Request for

Release of Information and is now able to provide the

departments with these documents faster.

We also established working relationships with

WorkCover Queensland, self-insurers, the Queensland

Council of unions and the Australian lawyers Alliance to

ensure the review process is transparent, timely and that

natural justice principles apply.

Recent independent research results

show outstanding improvements in our

customers’ rating of our service levels,

with insurers in particular reporting an

18% improvement.

24

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CuStoMeR SeRVICe eXCellenCe | ReVIeW AnD AppeAlS

Q-COMP’s Legal Services Unit developed • Reason

for Decision templates with hyperlinks to relevant case

law and technical notes to assist review officers deliver

consistent and quality decisions.

We updated policies, procedures and •

work practices to deliver on our goal to provide

timely and quality decisions and to reflect our current

operational initiatives and focus on customer service.

We surveyed insurers for feedback on key aspects •

of review/insurer interaction. Based on this survey a

number of initiatives were implemented to ensure that

there was open and honest communication between

insurers and the Review unit during the review process.

Q-COMP’s Review Manager delivered presentations •

on various topics throughout 07/08, including:

the review process – Master Builders Association •

annual conference in April 08; Department of

employment and Industrial Relations Workplace

policy unit

addressing applications for review if the decision •

is not made within 20 working days – Queensland

Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurer Association

(QWCSIA) general meeting on 12 December 07

the Queensland Workers’ Compensation scheme •

dispute resolution process – a delegation from the

Dispute Resolution Services limited, new Zealand,

including their Ceo, neil McKellor, in June 08.

A major project for 08/09 will be the development of an innovative work-flow system designed by our review officers and outlining key steps and timings in the review process.

An electronic ‘traffic light system’ will operate as a

workflow management system for the day-to-day

operations of each review officer. It will also provide useful

information to management on unit performance and

individual review officer work performance at each stage

of the review process. the reporting system will enhance

consistency among decision-makers and quality

of decisions.

The low disputation rate at each level of the process proves Queensland’s dispute resolution mechanisms continue to be effective.

of the 103,071 statutory claims lodged this year

(06/07: 97,660), excluding cancelled and withdrawn

claims, Q-CoMp processed 2,381applications for review, a

10.7% increase on last year’s figure of 2,150.

of the 2,138 review applications decided (a 20% decrease

on 06/07: 1,781), 346 appeals against review decisions

were lodged (06/07: 325) – 253 to the Industrial

Magistrate and 93 to the QIRC.

387 appeals were finalised (06/07: 351), 237 Industrial

Magistrate appeals (06/07: 270) and 100 QIRC appeals

(06/07: 81).

the Industrial Court heard 16 substantive appeals

(06/07: 13), that is appeals of a decision by an Industrial

Magistrate or Commissioner. of these, 12 worker-initiated

appeals were dismissed, two Q-CoMp appeals were upheld

and two worker/employer appeals were withdrawn. the

Industrial Court also heard two interlocutory appeals

(see glossary). Both were worker/employer-initiated

appeals and were dismissed.

on appeal, only 3.3% of review decisions were altered or

overturned. of these, 72.9% overturned both the original

insurer’s decision and subsequent review decision and

24.3% overturned the review decision and confirmed the

original insurer’s decision.

overall, appeal finalisation timeframes increased, with

74.8% of appeals finalised within nine months of lodgement

compared to 74.4% for 06/07, 76.1% for 05/06 and

71.4% for 04/05. this increase was due to temporarily

inadequate resourcing in the Appeals unit. non-judicial

resolution timeframes increased by 1.2% (06/07: 7.0%

7.8% (06/07: 7.1% decrease).

We have maintained a high level of non-judicial resolution of appeals.

over three quarters of appeals are resolved before reaching

court, usually because the appellant has withdrawn their

appeal before the court hearing, or the appeal was settled

or conceded.

of the 337 appeals finalised in 07/08, 76.0% (256)

were resolved before reaching court, a 1.9% increase

on the 06/07 figure of 74.1%. of these, the appellant

withdrew 80.5% and Q-CoMp settled or conceded

19.5%. Supported by an expert barrister panel, Q-CoMp’s

approach to managing appeals over the last four years has

reduced legal costs from $1.9 million (03/04) to

$1.3 million (07/08).

We encourage non-judicial dispute resolution by proactive

contact with all parties, saving time, money and court

resources. positive outcomes are also achieved when the

appellant negotiates a satisfactory agreement or settlement.

25q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | ReVieW AnD AppeAls

Q-COMP’s dispute resolution performance is benchmarked nationally and is still the timeliest and most cost-effective workers’ compensation dispute resolution system in Australia (see Figure 11).

The Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council’s Ninth

Comparative Performance Monitoring (CPM) Report

November 07 shows Queensland maintained the lowest

disputation rate at 3.8% of claims (Australian average: 8.6%).

only 6.8% (CpM Report 2006: 9%) of Queensland’s finalised

disputes exceeded three months, significantly less than

other jurisdictions, with the next best being tasmania at

36.3%. (see page 30, CpM Report, 07 at www.dewr.gov.au).

During 07/08, the QiRC received 26.9% of all appeals

lodged (06/07: 27.4%) and finalised 29.7% of all appeals.

the QiRC process achieves faster outcomes irrespective

of appeal outcome, the average being 168.6 days per

appeal compared with 234.9 days in the industrial

Magistrate’s Court.

The tender process has been completed and the new panel of barristers appointed to support the Appeals Unit effective 9 June 08.

We welcomed seven new members to the panel and

11 previous members have returned to continue their

support for Q-CoMp. our welcome session updated the

panel members on the Q-CoMp appeals process and

provided a networking opportunity for the appeals officers

to meet the new panel members.

This year we restructured the Appeals Unit to be more linear in operation, improving the customer experience – insurers reported a 6% improvement in our customer service.

We’ve also focused on:

driving increased efficiency in our performance•

facilitating succession planning and creating •

development opportunities in the team

creating a collegiate atmosphere within the unit•

partnering with the legal services unit – creating •

mentoring relationships between appeals and legal

services officers and using the team for legal advice on

specific appeals issues.

Appeals Unit has worked hard with internal and external stakeholders to maintain Q-COMP’s reputation as a model litigant and this continues to be a focus for the coming year.

We will also concentrate on:

promoting high levels of ethical and •

professional behaviour

maintaining a commitment to Q-CoMp’s values and •

Code of conduct

ensuring compliance with Appeals unit work policies, •

procedures and practices

encouraging and supporting appeals officers to access •

training and development opportunities, increasing their

knowledge and expertise in current and emerging trends

in the workers’ compensation arena

ensuring appeals officers have access to the technology, •

resources and support to enable flexible

work arrangements

providing challenging projects that encourage and •

support personal and professional development

disseminating information to customers •

and stakeholders.

120.0%

100.0%

80.0%

60.0%

40.0%

20.0%

0.0%

Within 1 month

Within 3 months

Within 6 months

Within 9 months

QlD nsW ViC

Australia*

WA

Comcare new ZealandtAs

11percentage of disputes resolved within selected time periods (cumulative)

Reference: Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council Comparative performance

Monitoring (CpM) Report: Comparison of occupational health and safety and

workers’ compensation schemes in Australia and new Zealand, ninth edition,

February 08; page 30. © Commonwealth of Australia 2006 (Department of

education, employment and Workplace Relations).

isBn no. 978-0-642-32711-6

Appeals Officer Ruth Moroney manages the defence of appeals in the Industrial Magistrates Court or the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.

26q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe

26

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | MAt

medical assessment tribunals (mAT) – independent medical assessment of workers’ compensation injuries and permanent impairment supported by q-comp’s Tribunal Secretariat.

Outcome

our customers have confidence in MAt processes and

decisions and we are recognised for excellent

customer service.

Major Achievements

Administered 2,778 referrals (06/07: 2,699) and •

convened 1,030 tribunals (06/07: 1,037).

increased understanding of insurer issues and improved •

efficiency of MAt referral process.

Focused on the emotional aspects of the tribunal •

experience for workers.

Almost all tribunal members attended • Reasons for

decision information sessions.

implemented quality management systems for internal •

processing of referrals.

Reduced timeframes from 8.0 to 6.8 weeks •

(see Figure 13).

Future Priorities

provide professional development programs for •

tribunal members.

explore opportunities for tribunal members to:•

provide insights to stakeholders•

host and participate in educational forums.•

Coordinate inter-agency evaluation of AMA guides •

6th edition.

Customer service excellence MAT

Members of the Orthopaedic Assessment Tribunal, Dr Gregory Bookless, Dr Lloyd Toft (Tribunal Chair) and Dr John Livingstone deliberating on a tribunal decision.

27q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | MAt

Medical assessment tribunals (MAt) consist of up to

five expert medical specialists who provide a fair and

independent assessment of workers’ compensation medical

matters. only a workers’ compensation insurer may refer a

worker to a tribunal, with most matters referred relating to:

conflicting medical opinions about whether the injury is •

work-related

a claim previously accepted by the insurer but with •

uncertainty about whether there is any ongoing

incapacity from the work-related injury

assessing the degree of permanent impairment resulting •

from a work-related injury.

tribunal members make a collective decision about

the worker’s injury based on a clinical examination and

information from the worker’s claim file supplied by the

insurer and any additional information provided by the

worker or their representative.

the tribunal decision is final; however a worker may seek a

further hearing based on fresh medical evidence supplied

within 12 months of the decision.

Meeting with insurers has increased our understanding of their issues and has improved the efficiency of the MAT referral process.

the tribunal secretariat provided and sought feedback

at regular insurer meetings coordinated by Q-CoMp’s

insurer advisors in our Customer service group. in 08/09,

we’ll increase opportunities for sharing information by

inviting insurers to visit Q-CoMp and meet with tribunal

coordinators on-site.

Customer feedback has helped us improve our processes

for lodgement of referrals by insurers. For example,

WorkCover Queensland requested electronic lodgement

of referrals and distribution of decisions. in response,

we completed a successful trial of the process and now

WorkCover Queensland and other insurers are able to take

advantage of electronic transactions.

The Tribunal Secretariat restructure provides the resources for a better customer experience for injured workers and specialised support for tribunal members.

Attendance at a tribunal can be a daunting experience for

an injured worker. We have restructured the secretariat to

provide additional resources to address the injured worker’s

needs, focusing on the emotional aspects of the tribunal

experience. the experience commences from the moment

the worker arrives and is greeted by friendly and helpful

customer service officers. Dedicated tribunal officers

are allocated at referral and take a supportive and

caring approach with each worker on the day of the

tribunal hearing.

the new structure also provides better support to tribunal

members. specialised teams of tribunal coordinators

and tribunal officers led by experienced senior tribunal

coordinators facilitate better feedback between insurers

and tribunal members.

Q-COMP CEO Elizabeth Woods, solicitor, ran a series of one-hour Legal Requirements for Reasons for Decision information sessions.

these sessions, aimed at enhancing tribunal members’

decision writing skills, were well attended by tribunal

members, either in person or via telephone link-up.

Feedback has been encouraging with most attendees

reporting the presentation was relevant, interesting

and informative. Following the presentations, elizabeth

convened a meeting of the tribunal chairs to discuss

feedback from attendees.

this meeting lead to the development of appropriate

policy positions and guidance material on specific issues

particularly matters relating to legal interpretation.

Q-CoMp’s new legal services unit now ably advises

tribunal members on legislative interpretation and natural

justice principles based on recent court decisions.

Two new resources, the Tribunal members’ manual and the Medical Assessment Tribunals Quarterly Report provide valuable tribunal business information and updates for tribunal members.

each tribunal room has a Tribunal members’ manual, placing

valuable business information at the tribunal members’

fingertips, including:

rules of natural justice•

reasons for decision guidance notes•

guide for feedback on scheme issues and communicating •

concerns and ideas

relevant legislation and general scheme information, and •

an explanation of key words and phrases from

the legislation

terms of reference guide and information on the •

referral process.

28

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | MAt

We will ensure the manual evolves with the changing needs

of tribunal members.

Medical Assessment Tribunals Quarterly Report is a

newsletter that updates members about important matters

for running tribunals such as interpreting legislation,

MAt statistics and guidelines as well as general interest

stories. Feedback from tribunal members about these new

resources has been very positive.

Under the revised structure the stronger relationships between tribunal chairs and senior tribunal coordinators has enabled the communication of specific tribunal needs to insurers.

For example, the orthopaedic Assessment tribunal

requested that post operative reports be included with

reference material from insurers where relevant. We’ve

communicated tribunal needs such as this to insurers

in Insurer Report, a quarterly newsletter put out by the

Customer service group, and at one-on-one meetings

with insurers such as the monthly operations meeting with


The MAT Secretariat is implementing quality management systems to improve workflow management.

the secretariat has been working closely with the it unit

to develop and trial quality management systems for

managing secretariat workflows.

the benefits for the tribunal secretariat in implementing

the new system include:

employees can monitor their workloads•

managers can understand resourcing requirements and •

support needs more accurately

the system does not allow steps in the workflow to be •

missed – especially helpful for new employees learning

the tribunal processes

any employee in the tribunal secretariat can check the •

progress of a referral.

Q-CoMp can measure its performance more meaningfully

and accurately – previously we could only measure the

time from referral to appointment – and workers and

insurers can be assured that nothing is overlooked in the

tribunal process.

on completion of successful trials, similar systems will be

rolled out in other Q-CoMp units. (see page 44).

13time from tribunal referral to hearing – rolling 12 months

We are approaching optimal timeframes for Orthopaedic, Psychiatric, Neurosurgical/Neurological tribunals. Impacts on timeframes include legislative requirements for exchange of documents and availability of panel members for specialties with less frequent referrals.

AMA Queensland’s former president Dr Ross Cartmill presents Dr Lloyd Toft with the President’s Award. The President’s Award is awarded each year to a member of AMA Queensland in recognition of their professionalism and outstanding service.Photography by Jerry Liu.

12 tribunal chairs

Dr Jon Douglas general Medical Assessment tribunal

Dr lloyd toft orthopaedic Assessment tribunal

Dr leigh Atkinson neurology/ neurosurgical Assessment tribunal

Dr Robert Black ear, nose and throat Assessment tribunal

Dr Jenny Byth Dermatology Assessment tribunal

Dr Ken hossack Cardiac Assessment tribunal

Dr Frank sullivan ophthalmology Assessment tribunal

Dr peter Catt Disfigurement Assessment tribunal

Avg

no o

f w

eeks

Month

10

9

8

7

6

5

other target zone ortho, neuro and psych

7-07 8-07 9-07 10-07 11-07 12-07 1-08 2-08 3-08 4-08 5-08 6-08

29q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | MAt

A number of tribunal members attended permanent impairment assessment training on how to use the latest edition of the American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (6th Edition).the training was run by the American Board of independent

Medical examiners (ABiMe) in Brisbane.

Q-CoMp is coordinating an inter-agency evaluation of

this new edition of the AMA guides, which was released

at the end of 07/08. Feedback will be shared with the

Department of employment and industrial Relations, the

Motor Accident insurance Commission and the Department

of Justice and the Attorney-general. tribunal members will

make a significant contribution to the evaluation process.

14 Average number of cases heard per tribunal

tribunal 07/08 06/07

orthopaedic 2.2 2.3

gMAt (psychiatric) 2.3 2.4

neurology/ neurosurgical 1.9 2.0

gMAt (other) 1.7 1.6

specialty (other) 4.2 4.7

total 2.3 2.4

Our mission is to provide a professional service that supports tribunals to make excellent decisions and exceed the expectations of the people we deal with.supporting this, our priorities for 08/09 include:

more professional development opportunities for •

tribunal members, continuing on from the information

sessions in 07/08, to further enhance quality of the

written reasons for decisions

opportunities for tribunal members to host and •

participate in educational forums – tribunal members

have much knowledge and experience to offer that will

be of benefit to stakeholders.

Tribunal Officer Anne Midwinter discusses scheduling with Michael Francis, Executive Manager Health and Tribunal Services.

30

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 MAnAgeMent AnD AnAlYsis oF DAtA AnD inFoRMAtion

q-comp maintains quality, up-to-date data for both scheme-wide and internal sources. This data is used to identify and manage workers’ compensation trends and inform decision-making for the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations, insurers and q-comp’s internal business units.

Outcome

Quality capture and meaningful analysis of data and

intelligence on scheme trends and issues.

Major achievements

improved data quality.•

Developed performance measurement reporting for the •

Q-CoMp Board.

streamlined internal workflow processes.•

implemented customer service initiatives.•

Future priorities

Review data submission process with insurers.•

increase data quality with live data profiling.•

Continue to investigate and enhance scheme •

stability indicators.

improve centralised report delivery mechanisms.•

Review medical fees within the Queensland scheme.•

Q-CoMp’s data and information on scheme trends and

issues are essential to the effective regulation of the

scheme. in an environment of e-communication and instant

response expectations, the capture, analysis and free flow

of that data and information require a comprehensive,

shared approach between scheme stakeholders.

Management and analysis of data and information

Data Liaison Officer Aleisha Dunn and Senior Data Management Officer Rachael Keogh work with insurers to ensure data quality continues to be of a high standard.

31q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 MAnAgeMent AnD AnAlYsis oF DAtA AnD inFoRMAtion

Data quality continues to be of a high standard.

We have continued to work with insurers to improve

their data quality and to educate and inform them of data

requirements and processes, error management

and accountability.

our data management focus is on timely, quality data

provision and error rectification. Data quality must exist

to enable critical analysis such as actuarial and modelling

scenarios. system errors over the past two years have

stabilised at around 15.0 errors per thousand claims

supplied (down from 25.7 in 05/06). the target for

08/09 is 14.0.

The Data Reference Group comprising insurer and Q-COMP representatives meets regularly as a forum for evaluation and recommendations on data transfer.

in consultation with insurers, our data management team

developed a robust framework for defining claim types. the

application of this new definition improves data accuracy

for national comparative reporting. At the end of 07/08,

we asked insurers to provide us with five key data items to

reconcile their database with ours. this reconciliation will

now be performed annually at the end of each financial

year. outcomes of the reconciliation will be discussed at

Data Reference group meetings.

In 07/08, we commenced a data submission process review to gain a better understanding from the customers’ point of view and make process improvements where possible.

in performing this review, we are consulting with each

insurer, on-site where possible, and this will continue in

08/09. Q-CoMp is developing a mechanism to profile

insurer data submissions. the data profiling tool will enable

us to analyse trends and anomalies in submissions of critical

data items. We will then liaise with insurers to rectify any

data quality issues identified.

During 07/08, Q-CoMp also implemented a number of

customer service initiatives, including:

a streamlined process for receiving, recording and •

managing ad hoc requests for data

a system for the generation and delivery of the schedule •

of fees to claims managers

providing data and analysis to the Department of •

employment and industrial Relations on many matters,

such as:

the impact of legislation amendments•

psychiatric/psychological claims•

Queensland’s claim incidence rate•

a new process to streamline the calculation of •

the Queensland Ambulance service (QAs) grant

(see page 64) and to incorporate the new system

implementations by QAs.

In late 07/08, a project was commenced to review how statistics are delivered to the Q-COMP Board.

With the assistance of a consulting statistician, we

developed indicators to measure scheme stability.

thirty-three key indicators were identified and the report

generated will track a 2–3 year trend against upper and

lower ‘stability’ ranges for each of these indicators. those

which display significant statistical variation for the report

month will be investigated and commented on accordingly.

this new reporting method allows a user with no

background in statistics to easily and quickly identify

any areas of concern. For the analyst it leads to only

investigating relevant indicators.

We will also report monthly to the board on the

performance of Q-CoMp’s business units. For each business

unit, the four key areas of ‘timeliness’, ‘service’, ‘quality’ and

‘efficiency’ will be measured against targets.

15 scheme stability indicators template

Indicators 2008/09 Stable Sparkline

claims registered Claim frequency (per 1000 employees)

Fatalities

claim decisions Average days to determine liability

% determined within 20 days

Rejection rate - physical

Rejection rate - psychiatric

open claims time lost

Medical expense only (Meo)

psychological/psychiatric

other

closed claims Fatal

latent onset

permanent impairment

time lost



other

Average cost

Average duration

Closed as % of open

common law Claim frequency (per 1000 employees)

% Common law/statutory claims

Average cost

claim payments $m Weekly compensation

Medical and rehabilitation

hospital

lump sum

other statutory

Common law settlements and costs

q-comp reviews and appeals Rate of review

Rate of appeal

ministerials number of ministerial complaints

Scheme stability indicators

We will report scheme performance monthly to the Q-CoMp board.

Data will be presented in the scheme stability indicators template. Results will be listed under ‘2008/09’, a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will indicate stability and a graph in the ‘sparkline’ column will show upper and lower control limits calculated for each indicator (see example below). We will investigate and comment on any indicators which are not within the control limit.

Scheme stability indicators template

indicator indicator description Result no

see the full template in Appendix 6 page 94.

32

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 RehABilitAtion AnD RetuRn to WoRK

Rehabilitation and return to work

Back on the surface after a guided visit underground at Xstrata’s Mt Isa Mine. L to R: Sharon Smith (Xstrata), Karen Waddell and Ron Weinert (Q-COMP), Loretta Ormonde and Peter Saltmer (Xstrata). Note: we were required to pass a safety induction, and wear all supplied safety gear, observe safety rules and instructions and remain with our guide whilst underground.

promoting early and active rehabilitation for injured workers.

Outcome

employers and insurers are encouraged and supported to

improve return to work services and outcomes for

injured workers.

Major achievements

Analysed scheme data and qualitative research to •

develop three key initiatives:

Better practice in return to work • guide for employers

durable return to work initiative, • Return to work

assist, for injured workers at risk of losing their job

a • Comprehend on-line course for workers, employers,

rehabilitation service providers and doctors about

how the workers’ compensation scheme works.

Employers see achieving

cultural change in return to

work as important

– 08 customer research findings

Future priorities

extend the durable return to work initiative, • Return to

work assist, throughout Queensland.

Develop new rehabilitation and return to work •

coordinator (RRtWC) training options.

implement a new and easier service for on-line •

accreditation of employers’ workplace rehabilitation

policies and procedures.

provide new on-line training for employers in developing •

workplace rehabilitation policies and procedures in

Comprehend (see page 18).

Q-CoMp monitors employer compliance with their

rehabilitation obligations under the legislation and provides

advice on workplace rehabilitation. An employer must have

a workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures and employ

a rehabilitation and return-to-work coordinator (RRtWC)

under a contract (regardless of whether the contract is a

contract of service) if:

(a) the employer employs workers at a workplace in a

high risk industry and the wages of the employer in

Queensland for the preceding financial year were more

than $1.63 million (indexed annually)

(b) otherwise – the wages of the employer in Queensland

for the preceding financial year were more than

$5.352 million (indexed annually).

33q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 RehABilitAtion AnD RetuRn to WoRK

The Queensland scheme has consistently achieved one of the highest return to work rates of all workers’ compensation schemes in Australia.

Queensland employers contribute by meeting their basic

rehabilitation obligations to provide rehabilitation assistance,

suitable duties and for some employers accredited

rehabilitation policy and procedures and RRtWCs. there are:

10,372 trained and accredited rehabilitation and return •

to work coordinators in Queensland, up from 9,772 last

year (see Appendix 3)

1,837 employers with accredited systems of workplace •

rehabilitation in Queensland, up from 1,705 last year

(see Appendix 3).

During 07/08, Q-CoMp ran six workshops for RRtWCs on

supporting people with significant psychological injury.

Following analysis of qualitative research, our rehabilitation advisors developed a consultation version of the Better practice in return to work guide. this was part of our commitment to extend consultation

with unions, employers and other key stakeholders,

particularly about rehabilitation.

this guide was widely circulated to key stakeholders

and published on the website in August 07. the community

response was strong – over 12,000 website hits in six

weeks – higher than any other Q-CoMp initiative. peak

union and employer representatives provided valuable

feedback. the feedback overwhelmingly supported

permanent publication of the guide and the development

of smaller workplace-based kits to assist employers

and RRtWCs to promote better rehabilitation practice.

the guide has now been published in full on the website

and we will release the workplace-based kits containing

a poster, brochure and handy pocket guide in August 08.

16 Return to work status of finalised time lost claims 06/07 and 07/08

06/07 07/08

Number% of time lost

claims Number% of time lost

claims

Fit for work: same job/tasks with same employer 45,448 87.7 47,346 87.2

Fit for work: same job/tasks with different employer 879 1.7 966 1.8

Fit for work: different job/tasks with same employer 593 1.1 655 1.2

Fit for work: different job/tasks with different employer 1,316 2.5 1,555 2.9

Fit for work: no job 635 1.2 735 1.4

Fit for work: worker does not return 1,563 3.0 1,678 3.1

not fit for work 788 1.5 769 1.4

Alternative outcome not claim related 621 1.2 604 1.1

Total 51,843 100 54,308 100

it has been found that nine out of ten claimants return to some type of employment. in a small number of cases, the worker is deemed fit to return to work but

there is no job for the worker to return to (1.4% of time lost claims) or the worker chooses not to return (3.1% of claims).

Senior Rehabilitation Advisors Kerry Lugg and Jo Harris developed the guide for consultation with stakeholders.

34

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 RehABilitAtion AnD RetuRn to WoRK

each year, approximately 100,000 workers’ compensation

claims are made by injured workers in Queensland. the

Queensland workers’ compensation scheme is successful

in returning almost all injured workers to work. in fact, for

some years the Queensland scheme has consistently been a

top national performer in returning injured workers to work.

We researched what happens to the just over 3,000 injured

workers each year who finish their claim but don’t return to

work and found these workers often had injuries stopping

them from doing their old job or similar jobs for which they

were skilled.

these workers said they needed help to find realistic career

options and to access and use services that would help

them return to work.

Q-CoMp developed a two-year pilot program in

cooperation with WorkCover Queensland and the scheme’s

self-insured employers. the program, Return to work assist,

is an exciting Q-CoMp service that helps injured workers

access the programs and services they need for a successful

return to work by:

identifying workers at risk• of leaving the scheme

with no job

providing intervention services• , outside of the

current scheme capacity, to assist them to remain in

the workforce.

Return to work assist will put workers in touch with

a network of existing training programs and career

information services. it’s a free and voluntary service for

injured workers at risk of long-term unemployment.

Q-CoMp’s Return to Work Manager sonia Minniecon is

managing Return to work assist. sonia and her team will

help workers at risk through:

an initial interview and assessment•

referral to a training and career service•

referral to an industry-based training and job placement •

service including host employment

liaising with insurers and evaluating each individual •

worker’s program

reporting the outcomes to stakeholders.•

sonia is determining what services are currently available,

developing relationships with providers and setting up

systems, procedures and protocols for the program. the

pilot will concentrate on Brisbane south and, if successful,

will be extended throughout Queensland

Q-COMP’s Return to Work Manager Sonia Minniecon is working with WorkCover Queensland Customer Service Centre Manager Barb Martin to pilot Return to work assist in Brisbane South region.

35q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 RehABilitAtion AnD RetuRn to WoRK

Feature XtraCare Feature toll holdings limited

A recent audit by Q-CoMp identified a very good standard

of rehabilitation and claims management at self-insurer

toll holdings limited. their efforts have been rewarded

with approval by the Q-CoMp Board of a four-year

self-insurance licence.

toll holdings limited demonstrated particular strengths in:

case noting, new claims checklists, early reporting and •

early rehabilitation intervention – RRtWCs act quickly,

often on the day of injury and always within 2 work days

providing suitable duties whenever possible•

proactive case review by RRtWCs and proactive •

communication with medical practitioners

empowering their RRtWCs at each site to arrange •

rehabilitation without waiting for the claim to be

determined, or even lodged

maintaining wages for claimants awaiting their claim to •

be decided

active use of fact sheets when sending claim letters – •

this keeps workers informed – and case review surveys

of injured workers.

toll holdings limited uses their intranet for early incident

reporting, claim reporting, and on a pilot basis return to

work plans and providing information. using the same

communication systems as the remainder of the business

means safety and rehabilitation is seen as a normal part of

the business.

toll holdings limited is a good example of how to take

positive steps in managing workplace rehabilitation and

return to work.

Toll Claims Officer Terri Irvine and Claims Manager Melanie Spry, Q-COMP CEO Elizabeth Woods, Toll Qld Self Insurance Manager Justine Crowley and Q-COMP Insurer Advisor Elizabeth Seymour-Smith at Toll Holdings Limited Yeerongpilly.

Xstrata Mount Isa Mines Injury Management Team pictured with the mine in the background. L to R: Breda Watterston, Emma McDermott, Fiona Rogan and Helen Poyzer.

Manager XtraCare Bill Nevin and Q-COMP CEO Elizabeth Woods at Xstrata’s Riverside Centre office in Brisbane.

Xstrata is committed to creating and sustaining injury-free,

safe work environments for its employees and believes that

employer-based injury management provides improved

outcomes for its workforce. led by helen poyzer (far right),

the Xstrata Mount isa Mines injury Management team has

introduced risk-based principles and a two-stage injury

management process in order to deliver sustainable

return-to-work outcomes for employees.

Manager XtraCare, Bill nevin says, “while Xstrata believes

that all work-related incidents, illnesses and injuries are

preventable, the company recognises the importance

of developing integrated injury management practices

with the view to achieving a seamless transition between

rehabilitation and health.”

36

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 ouR people

q-comp’s human resources team works closely with the business units to deliver valuable, effective and timely people-related initiatives and services.

Outcome

An environment that supports, recognises and coaches our

people to achieve their full potential.

Major achievements

Recruited and placed 42 positions – 23 internal •

appointments; 19 external appointments.

encouraged development of individuals through •

internal and external secondments, coaching and

development programs.

Co-located teams to share experience, coaching •

and advice.

Introduced initiatives on performance management •

and customer service.

Increased employee participation in our •

wellness program.

Future priorities

Become an employer of choice.•

expand the employee engagement program • (Qdos).

Continue our customer service program.•

embed customer service and professionalism into •

our culture.

“Through a year of change Q-COMP

has created new opportunities for

personal growth, expanding skills and

career options for many employees”

— Human Resources Manager

Michelle Brooker

At 30 June 08, Q-COMP had 93.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees compared with 87.5 in 07.

Annual turnover for Q-CoMp permanent employees was

12.9% (06/07 14.2%) with temporary employee turnover

at 4.7% (06/07 8.3%). Figure 18 shows Q-CoMp’s five

year workforce profile by grade and gender.

Becoming an employer of choice is a key strategic issue for Q-COMP.

We ensure our people have the opportunity to continue to

develop and achieve their full potential by:

making flexible work life balance options possible•

expanding on career development and management •

opportunities by targeting our high achievers

developing an open and transparent reward and •

recognition program, including initiatives such as Qdos

(see Figure 17) and higher duties/allowances

Our people

Q-COMP employees Jana Ewing, Georgina Best, Michelle Brooker and Steve Murray celebrate participating in this year’s Bridge to Brisbane fun run.

37q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 ouR people

making our policies and procedures user-friendly and in •

plain english

introducing initiatives to complement our corporate •

responsibility both within our environment and

our community.

Over the last 12 months Q-COMP has shifted focus toward the customer service experience of those that interact with us.

While the stakeholder survey confirms the shift it is

important to establish and further develop the internal

value set and work behaviours driving these changes. it is

Q-CoMp’s culture that will define this set of values and

provide the foundation for organisational capability to meet

future challenges. one of our priorities for 08/09 is to

establish our cultural brand in such a way that our people

readily understand and identify with the values and the

work behaviours that sum up what Q-CoMp is about.

As Q-COMP restructured to improve customer service, a number of new positions were created.

this in turn created new opportunities for development

and career progression. every effort was made to ensure

permanent employees retained a role at Q-CoMp that

matched their skills and career goals. ten employees chose

to take voluntary redundancies.

of the permanent employees who resigned, many decided

to take on a new career with some starting their own

business, some entering the private sector whilst some

individuals decided to travel overseas. We thank them for their

contribution and wish them well in their future endeavours.

Banked time Emerging leaders

program

Careerdevelopment

workshops

QSuper account

options

Performance linked to salary

Employee

wellness program

Salary sacrifice

Leave arrangements

Our people

Fairn

ess

Accountability

Impartiality

Responsiveness

Respect

Fairness

Accountability

Impartiality

Responsiveness

Respect

Fairness

Acco

unta

bilit

y

Impa

rtia

lity

Res

pons

iven

ess

17 Qdos

38


We deferred the annual opinion survey until late 08 so Q-COMP could consolidate new teams and develop business plans.

During the change process, we conducted a pulse survey

and managers ran ‘health’ checks with their respective

teams. Although it was an unsettling time, there was a

positive response to the proposed changes and open

communication was kept constant.

In October 07, we completed our restructure of internal services.

this has assisted in improving communication with

stakeholders, delivering better customer service in

promised timeframes and building closer working

relationships with stakeholders.

We engaged the services of recruitment agencies

for information technology specialists, analysts and

accountants as well as the senior manager roles in legal

services, Review and Appeals units, and health and tribunal

services. We introduced other initiatives such as Qdos and

higher duties/allowances to recognise the contributions of

employees in a changing environment.

By January 08, five new managers joined the Q-CoMp

Management group (QMg); two were internal appointments.

the new QMg kicked off their leadership with a two-day

planning session to consolidate their teams and unit direction.

Establishing their teams was the initial focus for the new managers.

some new roles were created based on the key skills

required to provide services to our customers. the office

of the public service Commissioner approved limited

application pool recruitment to ensure our commitment to

employees was fulfilled. external recruitment followed the

internal recruitment process and we successfully filled all

positions by May 08.

Q-COMP created progression and development opportunities for employees through acting positions, secondments and project roles.

We provided relevant training and coaching in order for our

employees to be successful in these roles.

the executive coaching program (one-on-one) continued

with new managers and we engaged DBM (human resource

consultants) to provide focused career development

workshops as well as one-on-one career advice sessions for

employees considering their next steps.

Structured external secondments were organised to build on the following employees’ knowledge, skills and experiences:

Dean saunders (Manager Review) – Dean is completing •

his law degree and has taken up a six month development

position with Dibbs Abbott stillman lawyers

Cassie Dransfield (Manager, scheme Analysis and •

information technology) – secondment swap with

Warren hawkins of WorkCover Queensland for

six months

Jana Ewing (WHSO) and Karen Matthews regularly ride, run or walk together at lunchtimes or after work.


Belinda Doig (Accountant) – after completing six •

months in the acting position of Finance Manager,

Belinda was offered a six month secondment to urban

land Authority.

see their stories on page 41.

The inaugural Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP) ran from July to November 07.

nine employees successfully graduated in December 07.

the elDp was developed in consultation with Q-CoMp

management and employees and is designed to better

equip participants with the knowledge and skills to lead and

manage more effectively. the six-month program includes

theory, experiential activities, worksite visits and a team-

based strategic project to be delivered to the Q-CoMp

Management group at the end of the program.

the two projects were Customer service and performance

Management and the teams researched best practice,

surveyed employees and presented a final report containing

recommendations for action. these recommendations are

being implemented through separate project teams.

the second elDp is currently in progress with another

nine employees working towards the completion and

presentation of their projects in August 08.

other training programs developed and presented this

year were:

plain english workshops•

customer service champion workshops•

introduction of e-learning program • Comprehend for

induction of new employees

tRiM training (electronic records management system)•

workplace health and safety training for new starters, •

fire warden safety procedure training and first

aid training.

We create an environment where

our people are recognised for their

contribution and expertise.

We promote a healthy, safe and supportive working environment for our people.

this is achieved through an active Workplace health and

safety officer (Whso) and Committee, Q-CoMp’s policies

and procedures and annual workplace auditing. our Whso’s

proactive approach ensures workplace health and safety is

consistently top-of-mind with employees. this includes:

a regular column on workplace health and safety in • InQ

(Q-CoMp’s employees newsletter), with topics on

current and ‘of interest’ issues for employees

auditing our health and safety performance and •

arranging the annual external audit through Konekt

developing and monitoring a health and safety •

action plan

promoting activities such as Work safe Week and the •

Bridge to Brisbane fun run

coordinating ergonomic work station assessments •

through ekko

arranging free influenza vaccinations for interested •

employees through our medical advisor – 42 percent of

employees received a vaccination in April 08

managing the emergency and fire evacuation programs•

coordinating employee participation in events such as •

the Bridge to Brisbane and Cool night Classic fun runs

monitoring workers’ compensation information and •

statistics – our only workers’ compensation claim in

07/08 was a journey claim.

Q-COMP’s Employee Wellness Program takes a long-term approach to health management.

this year we worked with the Ford health group to improve

the participation rate of employees in the program.

A survey was conducted of employees to gauge interest

and call for some suggestions. As a result, Ford health

introduced three options for Q-CoMp employees to select

from and 34 Q-CoMp employees participated in the 08

health program (a 6% increase from 07). the options were:

healthy teams assessment – 23 employees completed 1.

this and each received a confidential report of their

screening results on dietary intake, exercise, stress and

physical measurements and an appointment to discuss

the results with a qualified Ford health consultant

diet consultation – seven employees participated2.

exercise consultation – four employees participated.3.

For employees who selected diet or exercise options,

follow-up calls and/or meetings have also been arranged by

Ford health for an agreed period with each individual.

40


Ford Health will continue to work with Human Resources to identify any health risk issues and provide intervention programs.

their newsletters and seminars are well-received by

our people.

seminar topics in 07/08 included:

health-e news (Ford health newsletter)•

surviving the silly season•

toppling over (dealing with various types of stress)•

salary packaging•

planning for your future.•

In October 07, Q-COMP actively participated in Work Safe Week.

the theme of the week was ‘the most important reason for

workplace safety is not at work at all – the most treasured

moments of people’s happen outside of work, which is why

it’s so important to come home safely’. A secondary focus

of the week was how to reduce injuries caused by slips,

trips and falls.

As part of promoting Work safe Week at Q-CoMp, we:

put up a safety bulletin board in the lunch room to •

increase visibility

had safe work week ‘show bags’ including fridge •

magnets and message pads to raise awareness

circulated healthy recipes•

set up the first work station assessments•

started the health and safety newsletter (later •

incorporated in InQ)

ran a mini ‘enough is enough’ awareness campaign.•

18 Q-CoMp workforce profile as at 30 June

08 07 06 05 04

grade Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female

one 0 0 1.9 2 0 3 0 4 0 7

two 1 16.6 0 19 0 19 0 24.6 1 20

three 0 17.4 0 6 0 8 1 2 0 3

Four 10 20.2 7 19.2 8 16.4 8 17.4 5 15.6

Five 5 10 10 10.4 9 11.8 8 7.4 8 8

six 2 1 2 1

Contract 6 4 4 5 9 5 4 6 4 6

Subtotal 24 69.2 24.9 62.6 26 63.2 21 61.4 18 59.6

Total 93.2 87.5 89.2 82.4 77.6

notes: the figures above reflect employee’s substantive positions; grade six was introduced in 06/07.

An ergonomist from Ekko completed workstation assessments and education sessions for employees.

this resulted in:

an inventory of all chairs and repair or replacement •

where required

provision of additional equipment such as footrests, •

wrists supports and telephone headsets to ensure

comfort and safety for employees

individualised installation of new computer •

monitors for employees in accordance with

ergonomic recommendations.

Konekt conducted an external health and safety audit in February/March 08 and identified some minor issues.

Most of these issues have been addressed through the

action plan developed by our Whso. ongoing issues include

testing and tagging of electrical equipment and reduction

of clutter.

Q-COMP strives to achieve a work environment free of any form of harassment, workplace bullying or discrimination.

Appropriate policies, procedures and Q-CoMp’s Code of

conduct are communicated to employees at induction

through our new Comprehend e-learning program

(see page 60), and ongoing information sessions.

As in previous years, no formal grievances were lodged with

the public service Commissioner against administrative

decisions, employee conduct, sexual or workplace

harassment, or recruitment and selection decisions.


Cassie Dransfield Manager, Business Consulting WorkCover Queensland

Belinda Doig Finance Manager Urban Land Development

Authority (ULDA)

Dean Saunders Risk and insurance Dibbs Abbott Stillman Lawyer

Why did you decide on a secondment and how did it come about?

once you graduate from law you have

to do a number of days in supervised

practice before you can be admitted.

there is a difference between

graduating and admission to court as a

solicitor. Although some areas of work

at Q-CoMp would have satisfied the

supervision requirement, i thought i

would take the chance to get some

experience in the real world as well as

get a taste of private practice.


in discussions between the Ceos of

Q-CoMp and WorkCover Queensland,

an opportunity for both organisations

was identified if Warren hawkins

and i swapped roles through a

secondment arrangement and to

see how everything works from the

other perspective. it’s probably more

unusual than most other secondments

because the arrangement actually

involved swapping employees

between the two organisations.


networking with other government

associates has helped me achieve

my secondments in the past. My

secondment to ulDA has given

me the opportunity to expand my

experience into new areas, such as

purchasing of land and the taxation

system to name of few. My current

role is Finance Manager, although

i am actually the whole finance

department at present. i am looking

at expanding the finance team once

financial year end is over.

What would you recommend to your colleagues at Q-COMP if they are considering secondments?

secondments can be really useful

for development or even just for a

change if you are feeling a bit listless.

i was lucky to get a secondment with

a great firm, with a great mentor and

with interesting work. i think that

balancing the people you will work

with, with a culture that you like

and actual work that you enjoy

is important.


the main thing is to think strategically

about your career, i.e. where are

you now, what skills do you have

and where do you want to be. A

secondment needs to work for both

the organisation and the individual

and knowing what outcomes you

are wanting (as an individual) makes

it much easier to see whether the

secondment is an opportunity for you.


if you feel that you have reached

your full potential in a position and

can’t really see where your next

move is going to be, a secondment

is a good opportunity to take

that next step and broaden your

experience. A secondment will give

you the opportunity to see how other

organisations work, gather more

experience that you will be able to

take with you either back to Q-CoMp

or move on elsewhere.

42

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CuStoMeR SeRvICe exCellenCe | looKInG AFteR ouR InteRnAl CuStoMeRS

providing a strong business infrastructure and effective systems supports high quality service delivery.

Outcome


Major achievements

established a legal Services unit which quickly gained •

the confidence and support of the organisation.

provided an internal legal resource, reducing the need to •

outsource for advice on scheme issues.

Centralised Q-CoMp’s administrative functions.•

Increased our environmental awareness.•

Maintained a stable and reliable It environment with less •

than 0.02% It system downtime whilst improving

core systems.

Developed • Information Systems Strategic Plan

2008–2011 and a three-tiered register to categorise

and prioritise workloads.

Future priorities

Constantly refine our processes and work practices to •

continually improve our customer service delivery.

Maintain the QWC• Dec database.

Build on our recycling efforts and investigate and •

implement ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

Further enhance Q-CoMp’s core system (QCS) database •

to enable workflow management and reporting in other

areas of Q-CoMp.Support implementation of new

internet and intranet.

Investigate potential upgrade to desktop computers and •

communication systems – both telephone and email –

and expand roll-out of dual monitors.

In August 07, Q-COMP established a dedicated internal legal advisory service and subsequently appointed Claire Jenkins as the Legal Services Manager.

the unit was initially confronted with the challenges

associated with establishing a new business unit and

creating an identity within the organisation. the main

priorities were to:

create administrative support infrastructure and record •

keeping systems

meet with unit managers and gain an understanding of •

business needs

define what services it could offer to Q-CoMp.•

Customer service excellence looking after our internal customers

Manager Review and Administration Bill Fisher and Senior Insurer Advisor Ron Weinert manage and maintain our facilities.

43q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | looKing AFteR ouR inteRnAl CustoMeRs

Following our meetings with unit managers, we appointed unit liaisons within the team to respond to the specific needs of each business unit.

some units required daily legal assistance and other units

required assistance on an ad hoc basis. in particular, the

Review unit welcomed the influx of knowledge as a legal

officer joined their unit for daily three-hour sessions to

assist with the administrative decision-making process.

We have developed an excellent working relationship the

health and tribunal services unit, providing legal guidance

to the tribunal members and tribunal secretariat on court

proceedings, tribunal referrals and preparing reasons

for decision.

The Legal Services Unit now offers a wide range of services across the organisation.

With our growing role within Q-CoMp, we have increased

from three to nine employees to:

provide legal advice to various business units•

conduct industrial court and judicial review proceedings •

and fraud prosecutions

undertake administrative information releases under •

various legislation and injury profile payment requests

train new review and appeals officers•

develop policies and procedures for other units•

update QWC• Dec – Q-CoMp’s online database of

Queensland industrial Magistrates’ and industrial

Commissioners’ workers’ compensation statutory

claims decisions

conduct administrative reviews of decisions on •

premium matters

act as a workload overflow mechanism for the Appeals •

and Review units.

our major achievements include:

streamlining the delivery of legal services and •

information release

improving customer service with the self-insurers for •

fraud referrals resulting in positive feedback

developing review decision templates and •

reference notes

providing an internal legal resource, reducing the need to •

outsource for advice on scheme issues.

In 07/08, we centralised our facilities management and administrative functions and implemented a team approach.

the aim of the team is to provide operational requirements

to employees in an efficient and effective manner, and

to ensure Q-CoMp meets its duty of care to provide

employees with a safe working environment.

Requests are attended to promptly and the team meets

weekly to monitor progress of urgent items and

planned maintenance.

one of the team’s first tasks was to identify and consolidate

all Q-CoMp contracts, leases and agreements into a

register to ensure delivery and renewal of services, and

budget requirements are tracked. they also maintain

up-to-date lists of contacts and a register of work

completed and in progress.

Responsibilities include:

managing ground floor and level three receptions•

bulk photocopying support•

arranging travel including booking conference where •

travel, accommodation or car hire are needed

mail service – registration, delivery and pick-up •

from units

registering incoming and outgoing files•

managing stationery – centralised store and •

ordering system

coordinating car parking and maintaining the Q-CoMp •

company car

managing and monitoring the cleaning contract•

attend to repairs and maintenance of Q-CoMp premises.•

Q-COMP focuses on ensuring employees have everything they need to do their job efficiently.

Anything reported as broken is attended to immediately.

All new starters undergo an ergonomic assessment and any

required adjustments are made. Double computer screens

have been rolled out to assist employees working on

database and word processing simultaneously.

our meeting rooms cater for small groups to large seminars

and are fully equipped with computers, projectors,

audio-visual equipment and interactive whiteboards.

44

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | looKing AFteR ouR inteRnAl CustoMeRs

We became more environmentally aware.

some of the ways we made a difference in 07/08 were:

installing a neverfail water fountain in the Board Room – •

saves two litres of water being discarded each day

at least

increasing our office waste recycling efforts to include •

newspapers, toner drums, batteries and plastic items

using only recycled paper in printers and copiers•

replacing our:•

domestic dishwasher with an industrial dishwasher, •

which cuts the washing and drying time by

90 percent and uses one third of the water

domestic oven with a catering oven which cooks •

large amounts quicker and more efficiently. this also

saves money on caterers.

trading our older six cylinder sedan for a more fuel •

efficient, cheaper to run four cylinder wagon. We

have also arranged monthly cleaning by an eco-wash

company using recycled water.

turning most lights off at night – only the minimum •

security lights are left on – and only running air

conditioning during working hours

turning off computers, projectors, photocopiers and •

other electronic devices rather than leaving them on

standby to save power

installing block out blinds in sun-affected windows to •

assist air conditioning to run more efficiently.

our focus for 08/09 will be to further improve our

recycling efforts and investigate and implement ways to

reduce our carbon footprint, such as when

purchasing airfares.

During 07/08, Q-COMP’s information technology (IT) systems have been stable and reliable.

there has been less than 0.02% of downtime during the

period, meaning employees are able to perform their roles

effectively and efficiently with minimum it disruptions.

Q-CoMp achieved an excellent result from the external

audit conducted by WhK horwath for the period ending

30 June 08. the report revealed four low risks associated

with it, these being:

A lack of monitoring of CiteC performance to ensure 1.

that they adhere to the service level agreement (slA)

standards – this has been addressed in the new slA with

CiteC, commencing in october 08

Redundant users of Q-CoMp’s injury payment profile 2.

database – a potential security risk, this was addressed

by requesting regular lists of users from insurers and

deleting those no longer required. We also ‘disable’ users

with no activity in the past three months.

employees having unnecessary administrator rights for 3.

Q-CoMp’s internal database – we removed rights for

those that no longer needed that level of access.

Redundant users within Q-CoMp network system – 4.

a potential risk of unauthorised access by ex-employees,

this was addressed by implementing a process for staffing

changes to come through to it from human Resources.

Our Information Systems Strategic Plan 2008–2011 focuses on three key areas – communications, software applications and hardware.

We identified one to three year projects in each of these

areas, including investigating potential upgrades to telephone,

email and faxing systems and replacing desktop computers.

IT is working with the business to improve work processes.

our aim is to maintain and upgrade Q-CoMp information

systems that successfully integrate with Q-CoMp’s

business and progress organisational goals.

it worked with the tribunal secretariat to develop and

trial a quality management system to manage tribunal

process workflows (see page 28). this involved enhancing

Q-CoMp’s core system (QCs) to create an intuitive system

that ensures steps in the work process are completed on

time within benchmarks and legislated timeframes. these

changes will increase efficiency and accuracy by leading the

user through the steps of the relevant process. put simply,

the computer system matches the physical work flow. the

QCs changes will enable reporting to make it easier for

managers and employees to monitor workflow.

Information Management Officer Dominic Giorgio and Para-legal Officer Rebecca Benson provide internal support to Q-COMP employees.

45q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 CustoMeR seRViCe eXCellenCe | looKing AFteR ouR inteRnAl CustoMeRs

Feature Reception

Customer Service Officer Robyn Berta oversees the efficient running of our reception areas.

centralising the administration functions assisted us to change the experience for visitors to q-comp.

our reception area is the first point of contact for visitors

to Q-CoMp and we want their first impression of us to be

that of a professional, customer-focused service provider.

We aim to present a professional image and give great

customer service by:

creating an inviting environment – comfortable waiting •

area, water cooler and amenities

escorting visitors to lifts where possible, and in the •

medical assessment tribunal area, to and from their

appointment room.

We have also provided a safe and comfortable working

environment for our receptionists, with improvements

including ergonomic trolleys and adjustments to the

desk height.

During a typical month, Q-CoMp’s reception team:

handles 2,029 mail items•

coordinates 166 couriers•

manages 92 incoming and outgoing files to •

secondary storage

quality checks 283 files•

registers 441 MAt referrals •

books 17 room and 3 car requests•

orders catering for six events•

orders and fills one large stationery order•

registers over 389 files in to and out of Q-CoMp•

arranges interpreters (level three reception for •

tribunal visitors)

calls 30 taxis for visitors•

serves over 467 visitors with their excellent customer •

service skills!

After an evaluation of the trial in the tribunal secretariat,

workflow management technology will be implemented in

Review and Appeals units and the Medical Advisor area of

health and tribunal services.

We have completed a number of other projects which will improve business efficiency.

these include:

purchasing and installing two multi-functional devices •

which photocopy, scan, print and fax

moving statistical software to a dedicated server •

providing more efficient licensing and enabling all data

analysts to access the one repository of programs

and reports

sourcing and installing ‘tabQuick’ labeling software for •

physical files

upgrading Q-CoMp’s electronic data and records •

management system – tRiM (total Records and

information Management) – to ensure we continue

to meet our compliance obligations under the

Recordkeeping Information Standard (ISO40) and the

Managing Technology Dependent Records Information

41 (ISO41) (for more information about recordkeeping

visit the national Archives of Australia website at

www.naa.gov.au).

tRiM training has been rolled out to all staff and forms

part of employee induction for new users. We have

also established a group of super users – TRIM Power

Rangers – to provide ongoing support and instruction

throughout Q-CoMp.

continuing to adopt modern industry standard server •

technology called virtualisation, reducing the number

of servers from seven to two without any decrease in

reliability or increased risk to our it services. this will

reduce server maintenance costs by over $10,000 per

month and save $150,000 in future capital expenditure.

Our new IT Helpdesk software – Sysaid – will help Q-COMP employees to help themselves for common IT problems.

Recently installed, Sysaid allows employees to access a

history of answers to similar previously logged calls. it also

enables more efficient and accurate logging, tracking, and

reporting of requests. it support team members will be

able to obtain information on the category and volumes of

requests which can then be used to investigate initiatives to

gain efficiencies and target training needs.

46

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Q-CoMp BoARD

Paul Braddy

Chairman

paul was first appointed as

Chair of the Q-CoMp Board

in July 2003. paul is also

the Chair of the Queensland

education and training

international Board and Chair

of the Construction skills

Queensland Board. paul was

elected to state parliament as

the Member for Rockhampton

in 1985, and became Minister

for education in 1989. he

was appointed leader of the

house in 1991 and 1992, and

also served as Minister for

police, emergency services

and Corrective services.

paul served as Minister for

employment, training and

industrial Relations from

1998 to 2001.

Q-COMP Board

Peter Henneken

Deputy Chair

peter is the Director-general

of the Department of

employment and industrial

Relations. he is also the Chair

of the Qleave Board and the

Contract Cleaning industry

portable long service leave

Board. he is a member of

the Australian safety and

Compensation Council, the

Queensland electrical safety

Board and a member of

the Qsuper Board.

Dr Beres Wenck

Beres is a current member of

the health promotion Council

and national Chair of the

Clinical Risk Management

Committee of MDA national.

she is a past president

of the Australian Medical

Association (Queensland) and

is past Chair of the AMAQ

Workers’ Compensation

Advisory Committee. Beres

has previously been appointed

by the Minister for industrial

Relations to the selection

panels for the general and

specialty Medical Assessment

tribunals. she conducts

a private general medical

practice in Milton and was

recently commissioned to

write a paper on models

of primary and community

care in Commission.

Patrick McKendry

patrick is the recently

appointed Chief executive

officer of Careers Australia

group (industry). prior to this

he was executive Director of

the national Retail Association,

a national organisation

representing the retail

sector. in november 2006,

patrick was appointed by the

Commonwealth government

as Chairman of the national

Quality Council (nQC). patrick

is also Chairman of tVet

Australia pty ltd, which is

owned by state, territory and

Commonwealth Ministers

for Vocational and technical

education (Vte).

47q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Q-CoMp BoARD

Chris Rodwell

Chris Rodwell is the Director of

the Australian industry group

in Queensland. in addition

to his role with Q-CoMp,

Chris holds directorships

with QMi solutions and

Queensland Workplace health

and safety. Chris is also a

member of the Queensland

government’s Manufacturing

leaders’ group and the

skillstech Australia Council.

Tom Jeffers

tom is the Queensland Vice

president of the Australian

Workers union. he has recently

been appointed to the position

of southern District secretary.

he is a trustee Director of

Qsuper and also a board

member of Workplace health

and safety Board. he is also a

member of the interim Board

of energy skills Queensland.

Amanda Richards

Amanda is the Assistant

general secretary of the

Queensland Council of unions,

the peak union body in

Queensland representing over

350,000 workers. Amanda

is also an appointed member

of the Workplace health and

safety Queensland Board and is

a trustee of the Qsuper Board.

she has worked in the area of

occupational health and safety

and workers’ compensation for

many years and comes from a

nursing background.

48

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Q-CoMp MAnAgeMent gRoup

Elizabeth Woods

Chief Executive Officer

Q-COMP Management Group

Bill Fisher

Manager, Review and

Administration

Claire Jenkins

Manager, Legal

Services Unit

Rob Cordiner

Executive Manager,


elizabeth leads by example,

supported by a dynamic

Q-CoMp Management

team. she has successfully

steered the organisation

through a significant period

of change and, with a

business philosophy that is

about instilling the values of

accountability, transparency,

efficiency, and loyalty of

employees to Q-CoMp, is

producing excellent results.

elizabeth’s focus for the

coming year is to embed

customer service and

professionalism into

Q-CoMp’s culture and to

continue to strengthen

the tri-partite relationship

between Q-CoMp, the

Department of employment

and industrial Relations and


Bill leads the team that reviews

insurers’ decisions. he also is

responsible for the delivery

of administration services

within Q-CoMp.

Bill’s focus for 08/09 is on

strengthening our relationships

with stakeholders to ensure

that, through excellent

customer service, the review

process is transparent and the

principles of natural justice

are applied. Bill also is working

with his team to deliver a

proactive and friendly range of

administrative services.

Claire commenced as manager

of the newly created legal

services unit in January 08. in

addition to delivering several

key business projects, in the

past six months Claire has

assisted the legal services

unit to define its vision,

and to continue to develop

customer service-focused

work practices.

in 08/09, Claire’s focus will be

on the continued development

of lsu, implementing

strategies aimed at further

expanding the depth and

range of services offered to

its customers, and continually

improving customer

service delivery.

Rob is the leader of the

Customer service group

responsible for a diverse range

of regulatory and advisory

services for Queensland

employers, workers’

compensation insurers and

rehabilitation coordinators.

he led the newly created

Customer service group to

become a customer-focused

group that uses the philosophy

of “yes, of course, why not”

when handling customer

concerns and improving

service systems.

Rob’s focus for 08/09 is to

build on the flexibility, new

products, service delivery

efficiencies and enthusiasm

that characterised 07/08

for this team.

49q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Q-CoMp MAnAgeMent gRoup

Michael Francis

Executive Manager, Health and Tribunal Services

Warren Hawkins

Executive Manager, Scheme Analysis and IT

Denica Saunders

Manager,

Appeals

Dr Chris Cunneen

MSt.J, MBBS, FRACGP

Medical Advisor

Michelle Brooker

Manager,

Human Resources

Warren leads the team

that collects, analyses

and reports on workers’

compensation data from

Queensland’s insurers. he

also manages provision

and support of effective

information systems

within Q-CoMp. During

07/08, Warren directed

the development of

scheme stability indicators

reporting, as well as

numerous it-related

initiatives which created

business unit efficiencies.

in 08/09, Warren will focus

on maintaining a stable

system environment, whilst

investigating potential

upgrades to communication

systems and exploring

opportunities for flexible

working arrangements.

Michael leads Q-CoMp’s

tribunal secretariat and

the health services team.

this year he managed the

introduction of efficient,

new operating systems for

the tribunal secretariat,

giving his team more time

to focus on meeting the

needs of workers, insurers

and doctors. the health

services team collaborated

with the Customer service

group to develop online

educational options for

doctors and allied

health professionals.

Michael’s focus for 08/09

is the continued pursuit of

efficiency and transparency

and fostering relationships

and developing innovative,

readily accessible

educational options for

health care professionals.

Denica works with the

Appeals team to effectively

and efficiently manage

Q-CoMp appeals. over

the last 12 months the

team has worked to

ensure each appeal matter

was conducted in a fair

and transparent manner,

remaining responsive

and accountable to

our stakeholders.

Denica’s vision for

the coming year is

for the Appeals unit

to be recognised

by our stakeholders

as model litigants,

delivering a professional

service, with a strong

customer orientation.

Chris is Q-CoMp’s Medical

Advisor and is also a

consultant physician for

emergency departments at

both a Queensland health

and a private hospital.

he is a valuable and

knowledgeable resource

for employees, in particular

legal services and Review

and Appeals, on workers’

compensation-related

medical and health issues.

Chris’ focus for 08/09

is to continue to foster

relationships with insurers,

medical and allied health

professionals and other

stakeholders and drive the

ongoing education of the

medical profession about

workers’ compensation and

their role in the process.

Michelle leads a small

team of human resource

management and

development professionals

who work closely together

to deliver valuable,

effective and timely

people-related initiatives.

the team provided valuable

advice and support to

the organisation during

the customer service

restructure in 07/08.

Michelle’s focus for

08/09 is to address the

key strategic issue for

Q-CoMp of ensuring we

are seen as an employer

of choice.

50

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 goVeRnAnCe

We are committed to achieving a high standard of governance, accountability, compliance and ethical behaviour, delivering quality regulatory services with a strong customer service focus.

the primary objective of Q-CoMp’s governance program

is to promote standards of excellence in achieving the

corporate mission, vision, objectives, goals and strategies of

Q-CoMp, the Workers’ Compensation Regulatory Authority

whilst ensuring compliance with the state government

legislation applying to statutory authorities.

this program represents a rigorous and comprehensive

approach to:

providing the framework that identifies the objectives, •

roles and powers of the board and its committees, and

the roles and responsibilities of employees

documenting, or making accessible, clear and widely •

communicated policies on conflicts of interest, internal

control and standards of professional ethical behaviour.

this program underpins Q-CoMp’s strategic goals and

operational objectives, supporting rational transparent

decision-making and clear accountability for actions.

Q-CoMp Board members, managers and employees have

clear accountabilities and responsibilities to deliver high-

quality services.

Q-COMP is a statutory body accountable to the Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations.

it is bound by the provisions of the Workers’ Compensation

and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (the Act), the Financial

Administration and Audit Act 1977, the Statutory Bodies

Financial Arrangements Act 1982 and other relevant

legislation and government standards.

Q-CoMp’s audit and risk management system is

monitored and reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure

compliance with these statutes and standards. Documented

delegations, policies and procedures have been reviewed

during the year and communicated to Q-CoMp officers.

The Workers’ Compensation Regulatory Authority (Q-COMP) Board is an independent, non-executive board comprising a Chair and six Directors.

it is established under section 335 of the Act. the

governor in Council appoints the Chair, Deputy Chair

and board directors for a three-year term on the

recommendation of the Minister. the Queensland

government insurance Fund provides cover for directors

equivalent to directors’ and officers’ liability insurance

Governance

Q-COMP delivers high quality regulatory services with a strong customer focus.

51q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 goVeRnAnCe

The board’s role is to ensure that Q-COMP regulates the Queensland workers’ compensation scheme fairly and equitably, performs its legislative functions and achieves its objectives.

the board operates under a formal charter that outlines its

roles and responsibilities, including:

deciding the objectives, strategies and high level policies •

for Q-CoMp to follow in fulfilling its functions under

the Act. these objectives and strategies are embodied

in Q-CoMp’s four-year strategic plan and one-year

operational plan

monitoring performance against these objectives, •

including the performance and outcomes of medical

assessment tribunals

ensuring appropriate corporate and operational policies •

are in place and are effectively communicated to

stakeholders and Q-CoMp officers

delegating authority for operational functions to the •

Chief executive officer

reporting to the Minister for transport, trade, •

employment and industrial Relations on

Q-CoMp’s performance and discharge of

its responsibilities.

Q-COMP directors add value to Q-COMP’s performance as a regulator through their balance of skills and experience.

the board’s composition ensures an appropriate

representation of stakeholder interests.

the second three year term for the Q-CoMp Board expires

on 30 June 2009. three reappointed members – Mr paul

Braddy (Chairman), Mr peter henneken (Deputy Chair) and

Dr Beres Wenck – are original members from the board’s

inception in 2003. Mr patrick McKendry who joined in

2006 was also reappointed. Mr Chris Rodwell (Australian

industry group) was appointed on 28 June 07 to replace

Mr Andrew Craig who resigned on 28 november 2006.

Mr tom Jeffers (Australian Workers’ union) was appointed

on 19 october 07 to replace Mr garry Ryan who resigned

on 13 July 07. Mr Chris Barrett resigned in December 07

and we received advice from the Queensland Council of

unions in May 08 recommending Amanda Richards for

nomination by the Minister as their representative on

the board.

There were ten board meetings held in 07/08 – there was no meeting in January or September.

the board met to consider, determine or note relevant

matters including corporate governance and strategic

planning, financial management, insurer management

and support, workers’ compensation scheme stability

and Q-CoMp and Chief executive officer (Ceo) key

performance indicators.

Corporate governance

the board:

participated in the self-assessment process of •

its performance

approved an independent evaluation of the Q-CoMp •

Management group’s knowledge and understanding of

governance obligations

endorsed Q-CoMp’s 06/07 Annual Report including the •

annual statistics publication

reviewed outcomes of 06/07 activities and approved •

the strategic plan for 08/12

reviewed existing delegations and policies.•

Responsible financial management

the board:

endorsed the 06/07 financial statements, noted the •

satisfactory external audit report and approved the

07/08 budget

reviewed the levy rate calculation methodology •

and recommended the corresponding levy rate to

the Minister.

Insurer management and support

the board:

evaluated insurer performance and renewed two •

self-insurance licences

evaluated and approved one new self-insurance licence•

monitored the performance and prudential risk profiles •

of self-insurers

participated in discussions with government about the •

implementation of legislative amendments.

Workers’ compensation scheme stability and

Q-COMP/CEO performance

the board:

considered an application and approved specific amounts •

in industrial instruments as the weekly wage rate

applicable to workers who are incapacitated (under the

board’s function at section 107e of the Act)

52


approved the ongoing release of actuarial information •

produced by Finity Consulting to stakeholders in relation

to the scheme including self-insurance, benefit levels

and dispute resolution services

supported the federal government’s moratorium on new •

employers taking up self-insurance with Comcare

made a joint submission with WorkCover Queensland •

and the Department of employment and industrial

Relations to the federal government about the impact of

self-insurance with Comcare on the Queensland scheme

monitored Q-CoMp’s performance of its core functions •

using key performance indicators

monitored the Ceo’s performance based on the Ceo •

Report to the board at each meeting.

The Governor in Council appoints Q-COMP’s CEO on the board’s recommendation.

the Ceo manages Q-CoMp’s day-to-day operations

and is supported by the Q-CoMp Management group in

overseeing Q-CoMp’s functions. the relationship between

the board, Ceo and the Q-CoMp Management group

ensures that the board is kept informed of Q-CoMp

operations and that board decisions and directives are

disseminated and actioned.

The Q-COMP Board is committed to the ongoing improvement of its corporate governance practice and administration.

to meet this commitment the board evaluates its

performance and that of the Chairman through

self-assessment.

on 7 January 08 an evaluation questionnaire was sent to

directors and the Chairman. participants were asked to

respond on a scale of one to ten how they would rate the

overall performance of the board. the performance areas

reviewed included:

Role clarity

the extent to which the board’s role is clearly defined.•

Delineation between the role of the board and the role •

of management.

the extent to which the board balances its roles •

between compliance oversight and performance.

Strategy

the extent to which the board keeps abreast of •

trends and issues affecting the market in which

Q-CoMp operates.

the board’s involvement in the Q-CoMp’s •

strategic planning.

the extent to which the board has identified key •

performance indicators for tracking progress towards

the Q-CoMp’s strategic goals.

CEO

the board’s process for evaluating the Ceo against the •

agreed criteria.

Monitoring

the accuracy of financial reports regularly received by •

the board.

the detail provided in financial reports regularly received •

by the board.

the extent to which the non-financial indicators provide •

insightful feedback to the board.

Risk management

the systems in place to ensure substantial risks to the •

organisation are brought to the attention of the board.

the extent to which the board is involved in the approval •

of the Q-CoMp’s risk management strategy.

Compliance

the reporting to the board of any compliance breaches •

in a timely manner.

CEO Elizabeth Woods and Senior Communications Advisor Karen Waddell receiving Q-COMP’s bronze award at the Australasian Reporting Awards 08. Q-COMP’s report was also a finalist in the First Time Entry category.


Policy framework

the board’s documented delegation of authority.•

the board’s written code of conduct.•

Stakeholder communication

the board’s understanding of stakeholder needs.•

Decision-making

the level of board involvement in major decisions.•

Effective governance

the extent to which the knowledge, skills and abilities of •

the directors are used effectively.

the extent to which the director induction program •

sufficiently prepares new directors for their roles

and responsibilities.

Board dynamics

overall, the extent to which individual directors •

participate in board meetings.

Meeting processes

the regularity with which the board meets.•

the quality of the board papers.•

the level of interaction and opportunity for a diversity of •

views during board discussions.

the timeliness of receipt of board papers prior to •

a meeting.

Committee structure

overall, the effectiveness of the committee dealing with •

audit matters.

the Chairman’s performance areas included:

Stakeholder relations

overall performance.•

Stakeholder relations

the extent of the Chairman’s networking for the benefit •

of the organisation.

Board processes

the effectiveness with which the Chairman conducts •

board meetings.

the results of the evaluation process were reported to

the Ceo on 8 February 08. the board and the Chairman

received positive results in all but four of the questions,

relating to the board’s written Code of conduct, the

induction process for new directors, Q-CoMp’s key

performance indicators and the regular Ceo update to

the board.

on 26 February 08, the Ceo addressed the findings

of the board self-assessment by providing each board

Director with:

a copy of the Code of conduct •

an index of induction documents provided to •

new directors

information about Q-CoMp’s key performance •

indicators for tracking progress towards the

strategic goals.

Q-CoMp commenced a new system of providing a monthly

Ceo key performance indicator report at each regular board

meeting as part of the Ceo update. the full board will then

review the Ceo’s performance each year based on a full

consolidation of the previous 12 months of Ceo Reports

and key performance indicators.

Through the Act, the board may delegate its powers to a committee of the board.

there is currently one standing board committee: the Audit

and Risk Management Committee. the board committee

membership listed refers to this reporting year. the board

reviewed standing and special Committee memberships at

its July 07 meeting.

Director Board

Audit and Risk Management Committee

(standing committee)

number of meetings held 10 3

p Braddy 10 (Chairman)

p henneken1 8

C Barrett2, 3 3

p McKendry3 3 (Chairman)

B Wenck 9

C Rodwell3 7 1

t Jeffers3 7 1

A Richards4 0

n guy5 0 3

1 As a public servant, no payment was made or is applicable to Mr henneken

2 Mr Barrett resigned 07/12/07

3 Mr Barrett, Mr McKendry, Mr Rodwell and Mr Jeffers waived their right

for payment of remuneration in favour of payments being made directly to

their employers. payments on this basis amounted to $9,616.

4 Ms Richards’ first board meeting was in July 08

5 external member Mr guy, B Com, CpA attends Audit and Risk Management

Committee meetings

19 Attendance at board/committee meetings

54


Responsibility for Q-COMP’s internal audit function is included in the service level agreement with the Corporate Administration Agency (CAA).

the internal Auditor operates under an internal Audit

Charter, developed in line with the Queensland Treasury

Audit Committee Guidelines. the auditor is responsible to

the Ceo for the performance of the internal audit function

and provides independent and professional advice to

the Q-CoMp Board and management by examining and

evaluating the adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency

of internal control systems. the auditor also provides

analysis, appraisals and recommendations on the operations

reviewed, reporting directly to the Audit Committee on

matters arising from internal audits.

Audits in 07/08 focused on these areas identified in the risk

management program:

Q-CoMp – complaint management process•

Appeals unit – timeliness of communication and •

movement of information to parties including

compliance with legislation, policies and procedures

Review unit policies and procedures – consistency with •

March 2006 legislative amendments

entertainment and travel policies and procedures – •

consistency with whole of government guidelines

tribunal secretariat policies and procedures – •

consistency with section 511 of the Act

solicitor panel process for reviews – consistency •

with state purchasing policy and Q-CoMp’s policies

and procedures

Finance unit – consistency with • Financial Management

Standard obligations placed on government agencies

Appeals unit travel – consistency with Q-CoMp policies •

and procedures.

Audit and Risk Management Committee (Audit Committee) – Standing Committee

Chair: Mr patrick McKendry

Members: Mr tom Jeffers,

Mr norm guy, B Com

(external member)

the Committee’s key duty is to provide reasonable

assurance to the board that Q-CoMp’s core business

goals and objectives are being achieved in an efficient and

economical manner, within an appropriate framework of

internal control and risk management.

the Audit and Risk Management Committee met on

16 August 07, 15 november 07 and 15 April 08, with

internal audit findings delivered at each meeting.

other significant matters considered included:

Queensland Audit office’s outsourcing of Q-CoMp’s •

external audits to WhK horwath. WhK horwath

presented their Audit plan for the year ending

30 June 08 to the committee on 15 november 07

review of Q-CoMp’s Business Continuity plan; Financial •

Delegations; the new Risk Register and update on risk

management process presented to the Committee

(15 november 07)

review of the draft 08/09 budget report on key •

elements; the 08–2012 strategic internal Audit

plan and 08/09 Annual internal Audit plan and

recommendation to the board; Konekt’s February 08

Workplace health and safety Assessment Report; the

electronic transfer of files from WorkCover Queensland

and potential risk for Q-CoMp administrative processes

(15 April 08).

In accordance with the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977 and other applicable statutes, the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) is responsible for auditing Q-COMP.

QAo outsourced the external audit of Q-CoMp’s operations

to WhK horwath (previously William Buck) for a

three-year period which commenced in 06/07. Mr Cole

and Mr Worrall from WhK horwath reported to the Audit

and Risk Management Committee on 16 August 07 on the

external audit findings. At the time the auditors advised

that they would provide Q-CoMp with an unqualified audit

report. two low risk issues were noted but the auditors are

satisfied that management would have these addressed.

WhK horwath presented their Audit plan for 07/08 to the

committee on 15 november 07.

Mr Norm Guy is an external member who attends Audit and Risk Management Committee meetings.


External customers Work unit Internal customers

Workers, dependants, employers, rehabilitation and return to work coordinators, insurers, unions, industry groups, medical and allied health providers, other providers, government, and other stakeholders and customers

Delivering service to our external and internal

customers

Q-CoMp units and employees

Review insurers’ decisions• Review Unit

Manage appeals of Q-CoMp review decisions to the industrial •Magistrate’s Court or the Queensland industrial Relations Commission

Appeals Unit

Administer and support medical assessment tribunals•

Administer medical and allied health tables and fee schedules•

Health and Tribunal Services

Collect and manage quality data•

inform decision-making through statistical reporting and analysis•

Scheme Analysis

Collect and manage quality data•

inform decision-making through statistical •reporting and analysis

provide information requested via freedom of information, •administrative release and injury profiles

Maintain Q-CoMp’s QWC• Dec online database of Queensland industrial Magistrates’ and industrial Commissioners’ workers’ compensation statutory claims decisions

Manage fraud for self-insurers•

Legal Services Unit

provide broad legal support and advice to •Q-CoMp business units

Administer grants•

inform, educate and advise insurers, employers and rehabilitation •and return to work coordinators

Facilitate e-learning through • Comprehend

Monitor performance and compliance of insurers and employers•


Facilitate employee e-learning through •Comprehend

Research customers and stateholders•

Manage events, market and promote Q-CoMp•

Design and publish•

Manage governance and risk•

support the Ceo and board•

Manage corporate complaints, including •ministerial requests

educate and inform the medical profession about the scheme• Medical Advisor

Advise Q-CoMp employees about workers’ •compensation medical issues

Information Technology

Maintain and develop information systems and •telecommunications

provide help-desk support•

Human Resources

Advise Q-CoMp managers and employees on •people related matters including: recruitment, recognition and reward; coaching and development; wellness and safety; change management

Facilities and Administration

Manage facilities and reception areas •(ground and level three)

Financial Services

Advise on purchasing•

Manage Q-CoMp finances•

20 how Q-CoMp delivers service to our external and internal customers

56


inconsistencies were found between the risk register and •

the audit plan i.e. some significant risks had not been

scheduled for audit

the committee was not being informed if managers •

were implementing improvement actions recommended

by internal audit.

As a result of the feed back received an enhanced

risk management program was developed and will be

implemented in 08/09. this program will deliver:

a new process for assessing and prioritising risk•

a risk register database along with a risk register •

template for notifying risk to the Ceo

a revised audit summary identifying high and medium •

risk priorities for internal audit in the following year

a process for updating the newly developed audit action •

register database

amended post internal audit report procedure to advise •

the committee on management implementation of key

audit recommendations

an annual risk register update and outstanding audit •

recommendation report to the committee.

these improvements will ensure greater disclosure and

transparency to the committee and ultimately the board.

Q-COMP coordinates responses to all issues (complaints or praise) received either through the Minister’s office or made directly to Q-COMP.

in 07/08, 346 issues were received. this represents a 4.5%

increase on the 331 issues received in 06/07.

the majority of issues received (80.6%) were

complaints. Q-CoMp is committed to best practice

complaints management in accordance with the public

service Commissioner’s Directive 13/06 – Complaints

Management Systems and in conjunction with the office of

the Queensland ombudsman.

We consolidated our comprehensive complaints

management system providing easy access for stakeholders

and the public to comment on any aspect of the workers’

compensation scheme under Q-CoMp’s jurisdiction. the

Q-CoMp Board and the Q-CoMp Management group

review the complaints reports quarterly to identify and

proactively manage issues and new trends. Complaints have

increased by 14.8% to 279 across the scheme, up from

243 in 06/07.

the following graph illustrates the number of complaint

issues received by Q-CoMp since July 2006. in 07/08,

peak times for issues appear to be november and April with

lows around December and January.

the Audit Committee considered the recommendations

and following implementation they were reassessed through

the risk management program.

Risk management is an integral part of Q-COMP activities and is the responsibility of all Q-COMP employees.

We are committed to maintaining an organisational

philosophy and culture that ensures effective business

risk management.

Q-CoMp defines risks as the probability of an event

occurring and its impact on Q-CoMp’s obligations as a

regulator. the risk management function supports Q-CoMp

to achieve its corporate objectives and strategic direction.

Q-CoMp’s risk management program encompasses its

financial, operational, political, public perception/image,

social, client, cultural and legal aspects.

Q-CoMp maintains a risk register which is reviewed

quarterly to identify ways to improve internal risk

management strategies and mitigate emerging risks. the

register contains a dedicated section for risks associated

with potential fraud and taxation issues. Q-CoMp has also

established a fraud policy and procedure.

Q-CoMp’s risk management program was developed

in accordance with key guidelines including the AS/NZ

Standard 4360:2004 – Risk Management, Queensland

Treasury Corporate Governance Guidelines and the Financial

Management Standard 1997.

the Audit and Risk Management Committee were advised

by the executive Manager, Business services group on

15 november 07 of proposed changes to the risk

management program. the proposal identified a need for:

a corporate level of risk rather than a detailed listing•

a restructure of the level of risk applying for each matter •

resulting in higher level risks being subject to audit and

notification to the board

minor matters listed separately but included in the audit •

plan and managed by the Q-CoMp Management group.

in April 08 a paper was presented to the Audit and Risk

Management Committee confirming a new approach for

identifying and managing risks had been introduced. the

committee raised concerns about the approach

advising that:

some risks were not identified and of those risks •

identified in some circumstances the methodology for

assessing and reporting was neither consistent

nor robust


21Complaint issues received by month 06/07 and 07/08

Q-COMP achieves compliance with applicable laws, regulations, codes and organisational standards through a comprehensive program of policies, procedures and work practices.

We review these at least annually and more frequently,

if necessary.

the recent restructure gave us the opportunity to review

our policies, procedures and work practices in light of new

roles and work teams, and we found there were many that

did not reflect our business operations. We decommissioned

those that were duplications or obsolete across the

business and updated or developed documentation,

significantly reducing the overall number of documents.

We now have a suite of up-to-date policies, procedures and

work practices which are consistent with current practices

and a program of regular review and update through our

electronic data and records management system, tRiM.

Under sections 339 and 358 of the Act, the Q-COMP Board and CEO may delegate certain powers to appropriately qualified Q-COMP officers.

Delegations and documentation under these sections of

the Act and other relevant legislation are updated regularly.

our focus for 08/09 is to review and adjust our current

delegations to empower individuals to perform their roles

more effectively.

The board has adopted a directors’ code of conduct incorporating principles prescribed by the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 (Qld). each Q-CoMp director and executive manager submits an

annual declaration of personal interests which is maintained

on a central register of interests to identify potential

conflicts of interest. Additionally, a standing item at board

meetings is the declaration of any real or potential conflict

of interest with any agenda matter.

The Q-COMP Code of conduct (the code) applies to all employees.

employees are advised to report any real or potential

conflicts of interest. the current code is based on the

five principles contained in the Public Sector Ethics

Act 1994 (Qld):

respect for the law and system of government•

respect for persons•

integrity•

diligence•

economy and efficiency.•

the code clearly defines a standard of conduct expected of

employees and imposes an obligation on employees to take

responsibility for their own conduct. it also emphasises the

expectation of high standards in the delivery of impartial,

independent and effective regulation of the workers’


the draft report from the 08 emerging leaders

Development program projects (see page 39) states the

principles and obligations are consistent with professional

behaviour but the omission of customer service obligations

is clearly inconsistent with where we want to be. this is

largely because the code pre-dates the current Ceo, most

of the management team and the strategic direction now in

place for Q-CoMp.

in 08/09, we will be revising our Code of conduct to:

encourage leadership, professionalism and customer •

service excellence

make it more visionary to encourage acceptance •

and ownership

be a visible, living, working document •

reflect the cultural shift since 06/07.•

the new code will be produced in line with our new

branding and plain english policy, and launched with our

new intranet. it will be promoted in employee information

sessions and newsletters and included in Comprehend

training modules (see page 60).

App

licat

ions

06/07 07/08

Month

50

40

30

20

10

0

Jul Feb Mar Apr May JunJanDecnovoctsepAug

58


Achievement planning

Q-CoMp strategic plan

unit/groupBusiness plan

Additional communication channels

personal achievement plan (summary record)

Q-CoMp information sessions

Regular achievement and coaching meeting with Manager/team leader(min1–2 per month)

team meetings

What i plan to achieve(Kpi’s and behavioural

competencies)

Review achievement plan and

Q-CoMp projects

how i plan to do it(tailored to my needs)

What’s working well?What’s not working?

What action needs to be addressed?

how will i know i have achieved it

(what does success look like?)

if working well, what feedback have you

received, e.g. emails

if not working well–complete a more structured

development plan

‘health’ checks(culture surveys, upward

feedback, customer surveys, succession thoughts–interim

overview meeting)

team leader planning meetings

Annual achievementoutcome meeting(finalise summary

record)

22 Achievement planning process


Q-COMP developed a new Achievement planning process from a project completed in 07/08 by employees in the Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP – see page 39).

Achievement planning replaces Q-CoMp’s performance

Management and Development program, providing

appropriate and timely appraisal of employees or their

development, performance feedback for individuals and

effective follow-through on development.

Q-CoMp adopted the elDp project team’s

recommendation for the new process, including:

naming it Achievement planning•

modifying the current rating system to a more positive •

outcome-focused rating scale

separating the performance and development aspects•

establishing an effective framework for regular feedback •

and coaching

including a 360 degree feedback system for the •

appraisal of managers.

the Achievement planning process (see Figure 22) follows

on from the strategic and business planning process,

aligning employees’ personal achievements with that of the

business. there are two parts in the process:

personal achievement plan – sets the direction, focusing 1.

on career aspirations and/or professional development,

strategic issues/achievement objectives, demonstrated

positive behavioural attributes such as self-management

and interaction with colleagues and customers

Regular achievement and coaching meetings – held at 2.

least monthly, individuals meet with their manager or

supervise to discuss what’s going well (role, objectives,

performance indicators), what’s not going well and what

support is needed.

Communication plays a key feature in the Achievement

planning process, ensuring individuals are working in the

same direction as Q-CoMp. the new process will be

more adaptable and effective for meeting current and

future business needs. information sessions and training

are completed ready for implementation of Achievement

planning in 08/09.

Q-COMP’s comprehensive strategic and business unit planning process reflects the board and management’s long-term strategic vision.

the process provides an opportunity for management to

review their performance during the previous year against

targets and outcomes and guides Q-CoMp’s decision-

making throughout the coming financial year.

the Q-CoMp Board, management and employees

review the Q-CoMp’s mission, values and goals each

year to ensure Q-CoMp is moving towards its vision of

“an enduring Queensland workers’ compensation and

rehabilitation scheme that balances the needs of workers

and employers”.

the planning process also identifies emerging issues and

helps to formulate Q-CoMp’s four-year strategic plan

and business unit plans (see Figure 23). Following board

approval, the strategic plan is submitted to the Minister for

approval. Q-CoMp then reports quarterly to the Minister

on its progress in achieving the goals set out in the

strategic plan.

identified goals in Q-CoMp’s strategic plan for 08–12

are consistent with the Queensland government’s Charter

of Social and Fiscal Responsibility and Ministerial Portfolio

Statement and support government outcomes and

priorities. the efficient and effective delivery of Q-CoMp’s

functions contributes to achieving the Queensland

government’s key outcome of strengthening Queensland

communities. services provided by Q-CoMp in conjunction

with the Department of employment and industrial

Relations, the WorkCover Queensland Board and

Regular monthly review of employees

achievement, business KPIs and budget

October to February

Mid-year budget review; Q-COMP strategic and

operational planning

JulyEmployee

achievement review and career planning

OctoberTabling of

Annual report; Strategic plan

progress review

March to AprilBudget for

coming year

JuneStrategic plan delivered

to the Minister and business unit plans

completed

July to August

Annual report, financial statements

and Statisticsreport

23 Q-CoMp business planning cycle

60


self-insured employers, aim to improve the lives of those

injured through a work-related event.

A number of subsidiary plans support the Q-CoMp

strategic plan including:

internal Audit strategic and Annual plans•

information Communications technology (iCt) •

Resources strategic plan

business unit plans.•

the strategic plan informs the business unit plans and

activities are developed to support Q-CoMp’s strategic and

operational goals. the business unit plans are reviewed on

an ongoing basis to monitor progress and operational issues

are reported to the Q-CoMp Management group as they

arise. Q-CoMp performance and scheme performance,

including scheme-wide trends and issues, are reported to

the board monthly and to the Minister quarterly

(see Appendix 6).

The corporate induction program provides training to new board members and employees on the Q-COMP policies and required standards.

two courses – Welcome to Q-COMP and An Overview

of the Scheme – are now available through our new

e-learning program Comprehend, see page 18. (the latter

course is also available to external customers).

employees can log in anytime and anywhere to receive up-

to-date information about Q-CoMp policies, standards and

work conditions, and information about their role in

the Queensland scheme. More courses on Q-CoMp work

practices are due to come on-line in 08/09.

new employees complete the courses as part of their

induction and we encourage all employees to refresh

themselves on the information regularly.

Q-COMP’s privacy plan and supporting procedures comply with the government approved administrative scheme, Information Standard 42 (IS42).

is42 contains 11 information privacy principles adopted

from the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988. the

information privacy principles regulate how personal

information is collected, secured, used and disclosed

by Queensland government agencies and statutory

authorities, including Q-CoMp.

Q-COMP processes requests from workers, and third parties authorised by the worker, for injury profiles (histories of their workers’ compensation claims).

effective from 1 April 2005, an amendment to the Act

made it an offence for an employer to obtain and use

any documents for employment purposes that relate

to a person’s application for compensation or claims

for damages. the number of requests from workers or

authorised third parties has steadily and significantly

decreased from that date.

Legal Support Officer Di Greenaway handles requests for injury profiles from workers, their legal representatives and from workers’ compensation insurers.


24 Requests for injury profiles

typeNumber 07/08

number 06/07

number 05/06

number 04/05

Worker 27 42 49 24,009

Workers’ legal representatives and insurers 13,095 12311 11,523 11,804

Total 13,122 12353 11,572 35,813

We ensure a consistent approach to the release of documents which may be accessed through a number of legislative systems.

Q-CoMp deals mainly with requests for access to

documents under section 572 of the Act (administrative

access for workers), the Freedom of Information Act 1992

(Foi Act) and the Evidence Act 1977. Administrative access

for workers requires Q-CoMp to provide copies of relevant

documents within 20 business days. there is no charge for

supplying these documents.

the Foi Act provides all members of the community with

access to documents held by state government agencies

and ministers (subject to the limitations specified in the Foi

Act). Access and processing charges may apply. A person

has internal and external review rights for a decision made

by Q-CoMp on an Foi application. A Q-CoMp officer

of equal grade or senior to the person who made the

original decision conducts an internal review. An application

for external review is conducted by the office of the

information Commissioner, an independent external

review authority.

under the Evidence Act 1977, a party to a civil proceeding

may obtain access to relevant documents from Q-CoMp.

Fees apply and are charged in accordance with the evidence

Regulation 1993.

25 Foi applications

typeNumber 07/08

number 06/07

number 05/06

number 04/05

Applications 16* 56* 76 129

internal review 0 0 1 0

external review (office of the information Commissioner) 0 0 1 0

* the significant decrease in the number of Foi applications, down from

76 in 05/06 was due to the use of the other access regimes. Q-CoMp

processed a further 91 requests for access to documents under other

legislative schemes (05/06: 48), including 11 requests in accordance

with s134A of the Evidence Act 1977 (05/06: 41) and 80 in accordance

with s572 and s573A of the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation

Act 2003.

We have published our Statement of Affairs on our website at www.qcomp.com.au.

section 18 of the Foi Act requires agencies to publish a

statement of affairs containing information including the

structure and functions of the agency and the range, nature

and accessibility of documents the agency holds.

Q-COMP has a policy and procedures in place detailing the types of personal information held and how individuals can access their personal information.

legal advice is also available to Q-CoMp employees to

ensure that personal information issues are managed in an

appropriate and timely manner. in August 07, Q-CoMp’s

vision for a dedicated internal legal advisory service was

realised with the establishment of the legal services unit

and the subsequent appointment of Claire Jenkins as the

legal services Manager, see page 43.

Whistleblowers Protection Act 1994Q-CoMp is subject to the Whistleblowers Protection

Act 1994. no disclosures were received or substantially

verified over the reporting period.

Appeals Officer Tanya Sayer preparing to defend an appeal against a Q-COMP review decision.

62

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 FinAnCiAl oVeRVieW

Financial overview

Our finance team –Accountants Paula Eaton and Neal Bostock, and Finance and Administration Officer Tracey Pompeani.

shows the operating result for the year. this is

transferred to the Balance sheet at the end of each

financial year and also appears in the statement of

changes in equity.

shows the change in our net worth over the

07/08 year.

shows the cash in and out transactions from all

activities during the year. investing activities are

purchases of assets such as computer hardware and

motor vehicle.

shows what we own, what we owe, and our net

worth as at 30 June 08.

Income Statement $000

Revenue 55,356

less: expenses 57,230

Operating result: Profit/(loss) (1,874)

Statement of Changes in Equity $000

opening balance of equity 12,267

Add: operating result (1,874)

Closing balance of equity 10,393

Cash Flow Statement $000

operating activities (2,152)

investing activities (113)

net decrease in cash held (2,265)

Cash at beginning of year 12,639

Cash at end of year 10,374

Balance Sheet $000

Assets (including cash of $10,374,000) 12,904

liabilities 2,511

net assets 10,393

Retained earnings 8,699

Contributed equity 1,694

Total equity 10,393

26 Relationship between the four main financial statements

The overview is a summary of the key aspects of

Q-COMP’s financial performance during the 07/08

year. Its purpose is to assist our readers understand

and interpret the details of the financial statements on

pages 67 to 88.

About our financial statements

the four main financial statements (income statement,

Balance sheet, statement of Changes in equity, and Cash

Flow statement) provide specific information regarding our

activities for the year, and our financial position at the

63q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 FinAnCiAl oVeRVieW

end of the year, and are accompanied by the notes to and

Forming part of the Financial statements (which provide

supporting details). the purpose of the main statements,

and how they link together, is set out in Figure 26. on the

following pages, we provide an overview of the key events

that influenced our financial performance for the year.

Operating result

While a planned operating deficit resulted during the year,

mostly due to a reduction in the levy charged to WorkCover

Queensland and the self-insurers, we continued making

improvements in the services provided to our customers.

the deficit was funded from reserves built up since the

inception of Q-CoMp. Reserves will continue to be carefully

managed to ensure that they remain within our target range

of between 6.25% and 10% of annual turnover.

in its first four years of operation, Q-CoMp built up

significant reserves. We decided early in 07/08 to run in

deficit, basically returning to the insurers what could be

seen as an over-collection of levy payments. We achieved

a smaller deficit than anticipated as a result of lower than

forecast expenditure on medical assessment tribunals, other

external professional services and lower consumables costs.

50,000

45,000

40,000

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

05 06 07 0804

Workcover Queensland

self-insurer levy

Revenue from

financial assets

other revenue

28 Revenue composition27 operating result (five-year comparison)

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

-1,000

-2,000

-3,000

operating result

BudgetActual

04 05 06 07 08

Queensland health

04 05 06 07 08

Workplace health and

safety

Queensland ambulance

service

other scheme

expenses

30 scheme expenses

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

04 05 06 07 08

Q-CoMp expenses

scheme expenses

29 expenses composition

40,000

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

64


10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0

04 05 06 07 08

employee expenses

supplies and

services

Depreciation,amortisation

and impairment

other

31 Q-CoMp expenses composition

improvements in service delivery and an increase in grants

expenditure resulted in overall expenditure growth of 9.4%,

whilst there was a modest increase in revenue of 0.3%.

Both increases where within budgeted targets.

Income statement

Revenue –

Figure 28 provides a breakdown of Q-CoMp’s revenue

for the past five years. our main source of income is the

workers’ compensation levy (received from self-insurers)

and WorkCover Queensland’s contribution.

in 07/08, income from these sources was $52.8 million

up from $52.4 million in 06/07. We reduced the levy from

2.37% of self-insurers’ estimated claims liability (eCl) in

06/07 to 2.30% in 07/08.

the balance of revenue was interest earned from the

investment of the self-insurer levy and WorkCover

Queensland contribution. interest earned was $2.4 million

(similar to last year). the interest we earn helps to keep

the levy rate down, and is returned to the scheme through

scheme grants.

Funds were invested with the Cash enhanced Fund of

Queensland investment Corporation (QiC) and with the

Cash Fund at Queensland treasury Corporation (QtC).

Withdrawals from the fund are made for operating purposes

when required. the investment split between QiC and QtC

maximised interest earnings under a low risk profile (target

rate of 6.0%). Funds invested during 08 earned an average

of 7.05%.

the board actively manages investments to ensure that

the highest overall interest earnings possible are achieved.

the challenge in 07/08 was the volatility in QiC investment

returns as a result of market trends. A formal review will be

conducted early in 08/09 to ensure that the investment of

the funds is appropriate.

Expenses –

expenses rose from $52.3 million in 06/07 to

$57.2 million in 07/08, a 9.4% increase. the majority of

this increase was the result of an 8.4% increase in grants

with the remainder from employee and other

administration expenses.

Grants

of the $57.2 million Q-CoMp spent during the year, 66%

was for grants. the largest component was the Workplace

health and safety grant ($34.3 million, up from

$31.6 million in 06/07). the Workplace health and

safety grant is set by the Department of employment

and industrial Relations, and paid to this department by

Q-CoMp as required under the Act. other grant payments

were made to the Queensland Ambulance service

($3 million, up from $2.8 million in the previous year),

which is used for the costs of transporting injured workers

to hospital, and some small grants to worker and

employer organisations.

Q-COMP operating expenses

While improvements in services delivered to

our customers come at a cost, we were able to

make significant efficiency gains to fund these

improvements.

We continued to manage expenses and to achieve most

performance targets at or below budget. Major initiatives

achieved during the year contributed to our operating

expenses. these initiatives included our e-learning program

Comprehend (see page 18) and the workflow management

systems implemented in the tribunal secretariat

(see page 28).

Employee expenses

employee expenses increased by 12.1% overall from

06/07. in part, this was due to the impact of the enterprise

bargaining increase of 4% that came into effect on 1

october 07. the remainder represents the investment

needed to retain and attract good people in a tight labour

market. Q-CoMp restructured to improve customer

service, creating a number of new opportunities for

development and career progression. every effort was

made to ensure permanent employees retained a role at

Q-CoMp commensurate with their skills and career goals.

some employees chose to take voluntary redundancies.

initiatives such as Qdos (see page 37) and higher duties/

allowances were introduced to recognise the contributions

of employees in a changing environment. our focus

on improving the quality of service is illustrated by

the continued commitment to employee training and

development (including conferences and seminars) with

65q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 FinAnCiAl oVeRVieW

expenditure in this area as a percentage of salaries growing

from 1.9% in 03/04 to 3.1% by 07/08. investment in

our people will continue to grow in future years as we

encourage coaching and development for individuals as part

of our succession planning.

Supplies and services

excluding the costs of running medical assessment

tribunals, the costs of supplies and services reduced by

18%. Most areas of expenditure have decreased, with

the most significant being a decrease of 76% for external

professional fees. this is due to the restructure where

previously outsourced services were replaced by in-house

expertise and is reflected in the increase in employee

expenses as the reviews, appeals and legal services areas.

there was a 17% increase during 07/08 which mostly

consists of payments to medical practitioners who facilitate

the medical assessment tribunals. this resulted from

increased payments to these medical practitioners to

reflect the market cost of delivering medical services and

to ensure that the service Q-CoMp provides to injured

workers remains a priority.

We continue to enhance efficiency by outsourcing

most facilities maintenance, and controlling purchasing

procedures to ensure high quality service outcomes at the

lowest cost.

Depreciation, Amortisation and Impairment

As Q-CoMp has a comparatively small asset base,

depreciation, amortisation and impairment are a small

component of overall expenses. the total rose by 4.3%

between 07 and 08, mainly due to charges for new

computer equipment and upgrade of our pool

motor vehicle.

Other expenses

other expenses rose by 26% between 06/07 and 07/08,

due, in part, to a significant increase (8.0%) in the amount

required for legal expenses. this is a demand-driven item

that varies from year to year in accordance with the number

and complexity of appeal cases that go to trial.

overall information technology expenditure was relatively

low during 06/07 however computer software licence

and other computer charges grew by 138% in 07/08. the

increase reflects costs involved in developing Q-CoMp’s

online learning program Comprehend, which will deliver

significant training benefits to both employees and

customers. Costs also reflect supply of multiple computer

screens for employees in key areas to provide

work efficiencies.

Balance Sheet

Assets –

Q-CoMp has a relatively simple asset mix, with most

of what we owned at 30 June 08 represented by cash

invested in on-call deposits ($10.4 million) and in the

capital amount for the fit-out at our Ann st premises

($1.6 million). total assets reduced by $2.2 million

during 07/08, largely attributed to a reduction of 18%

in cash deposits.

Liabilities –

liabilities represent amounts that we owe to third parties,

and include employee entitlements and accounts payable.

our total liabilities remained relatively constant between

06/07 and 07/08 with a slight reduction of less than

$0.5 million.

Equity –

Q-CoMp’s equity comprises retained surpluses, and an

amount of $1.7 million representing a transfer of net

assets during the separation from WorkCover Queensland

in 2003. this amount is shown as contributed equity in the

financial statements. the operating deficit of

$1.874 million in 07/08 reduced retained surpluses by

15.3% to $10.393 million. Reserves are still well within

the target range.

Future direction

Revenue

Revenue is largely determined by the levy rate charged

to self-insurers and WorkCover Queensland. the board

adopted a strategy to manage reserves at greater than

the target of 6.25-10% of turnover in the early years of

Q-CoMp’s existence. With reserves still running well above

the target rate and with an increase in interest returns

from investments, we will continue to consider setting the

target rate at a level that minimises any increase in workers’

compensation costs to the community. the levy charged

will be reduced again in 08/09.

Expenses

in 08/09, employee expenses will rise, although employee

numbers will remain relatively stable. this will be because of

a further enterprise bargaining adjustment of 4% which will

come into effect in october 08. there will also be increased

investment in training and development.

the internal restructure commenced in 07/08 which

focused on delivering higher quality customer service is

nearing completion and will not have a significant impact on

employee expenses.

66


We expect to keep increases in other operating costs low,

with the only major increases likely to be in the area of

grants made for workplace health and safety and initiatives

to increase public awareness of the Queensland workers’


Balance Sheet

limited capital expenditure is forecast for 08/09, and will

result from planned new computer hardware purchases.

Active management of our reserves will continue and

options for the levy reduction will be considered in

accordance with reserve targets and may result in some

reduction in cash investments.

Financial summary: key ratios and trends

the financial summary gives a snapshot of key ratios

and trends in Q-CoMp’s financial performance over the

past five years. the ratios and trends assist in evaluating

Q-CoMp’s results

32 Ratios

07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04

Working capital ratio

Current assets

Current liabilities

Measures Q-CoMp’s ability to meet currentcommitments 6.0 5.8 2.6 3.3

2.2

Labour ratio

employee expenses

Q-CoMp operating expenses

Measures Q-CoMp’s commitment to employees

47.0

46.8

44.0

43.4

36.7

Net worth movement ratio

total equity

Measures the growth in net assets within Q-CoMp 0.85 1.31 1.26 2.1 –

33 trends

07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04

operating result (1,874) 2,874 1,935 3,905 1,859

levy income 6,846 6,833 6,125 6,377 5,068

WorkCover Queensland contribution 45,970 45,528 42,098 44,661 35,000

interest income 2,425 2,447 1,898 1,412 564

scheme expenses 37,648 34,712 30,976 33,791 23,492

Q-CoMp operating expenses 19,582 17,553 17,452 14,931 15,455

employee expenses 9,210 8,213 7,673 6,476 5,673

supplies and services 7,283 6,842 6,712 5,743 5,743

Q-CoMp operating expenses as % of

scheme and Q-CoMp expenses 34.2% 33.6% 36.0% 30.7% 39.7%

training and development as percent of salary costs 3.1% 2.8% 2.2% 1.0% 1.9%

67q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 FinAnciAl StAtementS

Financial statements

Table of contents

purpose and scope of the financial statements 67

income statement 68

Balance sheet 69

Statement of cash flows 70

Statement of changes in equity 71

notes to and forming part of the financial statements 72

certificate of the Workers’ compensation Regulatory 87 Authority (trading as Q-comp)

Purpose and scope of the financial statements

the Workers’ compensation Regulatory Authority (trading as Q-comp) was established as a statutory authority on 1st July 2003 under the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (the Act).

in terms of Section 330 of the Act, Q-comp’s functions are defined as follows:

the Authority’s primary function is to regulate the workers’ 1. compensation scheme.

in enforcing this Act as the regulator, the Authority’s functions 2. include the following:

to monitor the compliance of insurers with this Acta.

to monitor the performance of insurers under the Act, b. including the consistent application of this Act

to decide applications relating to self-insurancec.

to undertake reviews of decisions under chapter 13, d. part 2 and manage appeals under chapter 13, part 3

to support and oversee the efficient administration of e. medical assessment tribunals

to undertake workplace rehabilitation accreditation and f. compliance activities

to provide rehabilitation advisory servicesg.

to maintain a database for scheme-wide reportingh.

to promote education about the workers’ i. compensation scheme

to collect fees under the Actj.

to perform other functions given to the Authority under k. this or another Act.

the financial statements have been prepared pursuant to Section 46F of the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977, Australian Accounting Standards and disclosure requirements of the Australian accounting bodies so as to provide full disclosure of the Q-comp operations during the year ended 30 June 2008 and the general state of affairs at the end of the year.

68

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 FinAnciAl StAtementS

for the year ended 30 June 2008

2008 2007

Note $’000 $’000

INCOME

Revenue

Workcover Queensland levy 45,970 45,528

Self-insurer levy 6,846 6,833

Revenue from financial assets 2 2,425 2,447

other revenue 3(a) 113 331

Gains

Gain on sale of plant equipment and motor vehicle 3(b) 2 -

Total income 55,356 55,139

ExPENsEs

employee expenses 4 9,210 8,213

Supplies and services 5 7,283 6,842

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 6 317 304

Scheme expenses 7 37,648 34,712

other expenses 8 2,772 2,194

Total expenses 57,230 52,265

Operating result (1,874) 2,874

the accompanying notes form part of these statements

Income statement



2008 2007

Note $’000 $’000

CurrENT assETs

cash and cash equivalents 9 10,374 12,639

trade and other receivables 10 499 477

other current assets 11 460 241

Total current assets 11,333 13,357

NON-CurrENT assETs

intangible assets 12 153 221

property, plant and equipment 13 1,418 1,558

Total non-current assets 1,571 1,779

Total assets 12,904 15,136

CurrENT lIabIlITIEs

trade and other payables 14 731 1,032

Accrued employee benefits 15 1,162 1,271

other financial liabilities 9 10

Total current liabilities 1,902 2,313

NON-CurrENT lIabIlITIEs

Accrued employee benefits 15 344 291

long-term provisions 16 265 265

Total non-current liabilities 609 556

Total liabilities 2,511 2,869

Net assets 10,393 12,267

EquITy

Retained earnings 8,699 10,573

contributed equity 1,694 1,694

Total equity 10,393 12,267


balance sheet

70


2008 2007

Note $’000 $’000

Cash FlOws FrOM OPEraTINg aCTIvITIEs

Inflows

insurer receipts 52,816 52,381

interest and other financial inflows 2,425 2,446

Sundry income received 135 292

GSt collected from customers 4,616 4,576

GSt input tax credits refunded from Ato 4,361 3,966

64,353 63,661

outflows

payments to suppliers and employees (57,480) (54,596)

GSt paid to suppliers (4,874) (4,434)

GSt remitted to Ato (4,151) (4,228)

(66,505) (63,258)

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities (2,152) 403

Cash FlOws FrOM INvEsTINg aCTIvITIEs

Inflows

proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 2 -

outflows

purchase of property, plant and equipment (115) (106)

(115) (106)

Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities (113) (106)

Cash FlOws FrOM FINaNCINg aCTIvITIEs

Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities - -

net increase/(decrease) in cash held (2,265) 297

cash at the beginning of reporting period 12,639 12,342

Cash and Investments at end of reporting period 9 10,374 12,639


statement of cash flowsfor the year ended 30 June 2008


retained surpluses Contributed equity

2008 2007 2008 2007

$’000 $’000 $’000 $’000

Balance 1 July 10,573 7,699 1,694 1,694

operating surplus (1,874) 2,374

balance 30 June 8,699 10,073 1,694 1,694


statement of changes in equity


72


Notes to and forming part of the financial statements


Objectives and principal activities of q-COMP

the Workers’ compensation Regulatory Authority (trading as Q-comp) was established as a statutory authority on 1st July 2003 under the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (the Act).

the Authority’s primary objective is to regulate the workers’ compensation scheme in Queensland. Amongst its main functions are:

to monitor the compliance and performance of insurers •

to decide applications relating to self-insurance•

to undertake reviews of decisions •

to support and oversee the efficient administration of medical assessment tribunals•

to undertake workplace rehabilitation accreditation and compliance activities•

to provide rehabilitation advisory services•

to maintain a database for scheme-wide reporting•

to promote education about the workers’ compensation scheme.•

the Authority is principally funded for the outputs it delivers from levies it receives from Work cover and other registered self-insurers.

NOTE 1 summary of significant accounting policies

basis of accounting (a)

the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards issued by the Australian Accounting Standards Board.

this financial report is a general purpose financial report.

in particular, the financial statements comply with the treasurer’s minimum Reporting Requirements for the year ended 30 June 2008, and other authoritative pronouncements.

except where stated, the historical cost convention is used.

rounding and comparatives(b)

Amounts included in the financial statements are in Australian dollars and have been rounded to the nearest $1,000, or where amounts are less than $500 to zero, unless disclosure of the full amount is specifically required. comparative information has been restated where necessary to be consistent with disclosures in the current reporting period.

revenue recognition(c)

income from insurers is recognised when insurer levy invoices are raised. interest income is recognised when it is earned. other revenues are brought into account when the goods and services are delivered.

Cash and cash equivalents(d)

For the purposes of the balance sheet and the cash flow statement, cash assets include all cash and cheques receipted but not banked at 30 June as well as deposits at call with financial institutions.

Trade and other receivables(e)

trade debtors are recognised at the nominal amounts due at the time of sale or services delivery, with settlement being generally required within 21 days from the invoice date, no interest is charged and no security is obtained.

the collectability of receivables is assessed periodically with provision being made for impairment.

Bad debts are written off in the period in which they are recognised.




Employee benefits(f)

Wages, salaries and recreation leave

Wages, salaries and recreation leave due and unpaid at reporting date are recognised in the balance sheet at the remuneration rates expected to apply at the time of settlement. payroll tax and workers’ compensation insurance are a consequence of employing employees, but are not counted in an employee’s total remuneration package. they are not employee benefits and are recognised separately as employee related expenses. employer superannuation contributions and long service leave are regarded as employee benefits.

For unpaid entitlements expected to be paid within 12 months, the liabilities are recognised at their undiscounted values. For those entitlements not expected to be paid within 12 months, the liabilities are classified as non-current liabilities and recognised at their present values, calculated using yields on fixed rate commonwealth Government Bonds of similar maturity.

Recognition of liability – former WorkCover employees

under the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 a person who immediately before 30 June 2003 was employed in the Q-comp Division of Workcover became an employee of the Agency and ceased being an employee of Workcover. Q-comp assumed the long service leave and annual leave entitlements from 1 July 2003 with each entitlement thereof being paid to Q-comp as part of the machinery of Government changes. these entitlements are calculated as if service with Workcover were continuous service.

Long service leave

long service leave entitlements payable are assessed at balance date having regard to current employee remuneration rates, employment related on-costs and other factors including accumulated years of employment, future remuneration levels, and experience of employee departure per year of service. long service leave expected to be paid in the next 12 months is recorded as a current liability in the balance sheet at its nominal value. long service leave expected to be paid later than one year has been measured at the present value of the estimated future cash outflows to be made for these entitlements accrued to balance date and recorded as a non-current liability. Relevant commonwealth Bond Rates are used for discounting future cash flows.

Sick leave

Sick leave entitlements are non-vesting and are only paid upon valid claims for sick leave by employees. Sick leave expense is brought to account in the reporting period in which the leave occurs.

Superannuation

employer superannuation contributions are paid to QSuper, the superannuation plan for Queensland Government employees, at rates determined by the State Actuary. contributions are expensed in the period in which they are paid or payable. the Agency’s obligation is limited to its contribution to QSuper.

no liability is recognised for accruing superannuation benefits in these financial statements, the liability being held on a whole-of-Government basis and reported in the whole of Government financial report prepared pursuant to AAS 31- Financial Reporting by Governments.

Executive remuneration

the executive remuneration disclosures in the employee expenses note (note 4) in the financial statements include:

the aggregate remuneration of all senior executives (including the chief executive officer) whose remuneration for the financial •year is $100,000 or more; and

the number of senior executives whose total remuneration for the financial year falls within each successive $20,000 band, •commencing at $100,000.

the remuneration disclosed is all remuneration received or receivable, directly or indirectly, from Q-comp or any related party in connection with the management of the affairs of Q-comp, whether as an executive or otherwise. For this purpose, remuneration includes:

wages and salaries;•

accrued leave (that is, the increase/decrease in the amount of annual and long service leave owed to an executive, inclusive of •any increase in the value of leave balances as a result of salary rate increases or the like);

74




performance pay received or due and receivable in relation to the financial year, provided that a liability exists (namely a •determination has been made prior to the financial statements being signed), and can be reliably measured even though the payment may not have been made during the financial year;

accrued superannuation (being the value of all employer superannuation contributions during the financial year, both paid and •payable as at 30 June);

car parking benefits and the cost of motor vehicles, such as lease payments, fuel costs, registration/insurance, and repairs/•maintenance incurred by the Agency during the financial year, both paid and payable as at 30 June, net of any amounts subsequently reimbursed by the executives;

allowances (which are included in remuneration agreements of executives, such as airfares or other travel costs paid to/for •executives whose homes are situated in a location other than the location they work in); and

fringe benefits tax included in remuneration agreements.•

Trade and other payables(g)

payables are recognised for amounts payable in the future for goods and services received, whether or not billed to the Agency and are measured at the agreed purchase/contract price, gross of applicable trade and other discounts. Amounts owing are generally unsecured, not subject to interest charges and are normally settled within 30 days of invoice receipt.

Taxation(h)

Q-comp is a State body as defined under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 and is exempt from commonwealth taxation except for Fringe Benefit tax (FBt) and Goods and Services tax (GSt). As such, GSt credits receivable from/payable to the Ato are recognised and accrued.

acquisition of assets(i)

Actual cost is used for the initial recording of all non-current physical and intangibles asset acquisitions. cost is determined as the value given as consideration, plus costs incidental to the acquisition, including all other costs incurred in getting the assets ready fro use, including architects’ fees and engineering design fee. However, any training fees are expensed as incurred.

Where assets are received free of charge from another Queensland Government entity (whether as a result of a machinery-of-Government or other involuntary transfer), the acquisition cost is recognised as the carrying amount in the books of the transferor immediately prior to the transfer together with any accumulated depreciation.

Assets acquired at no cost or for nominal consideration, other than an involuntary transfer from another Queensland Government entity, are recognised at their fair value at the date of acquisition in accordance with AASB116 Property, Plant and Equipment.

Property, plant and equipment(j)

items of property, plant and equipment with a cost or other value equal to or in excess of the following thresholds are recognised for financial reporting purposes in the year of acquisition:

plant and equipment $5,000 motor vehicles $5,000

items with a lesser value are expensed in the year of acquisition.

Depreciation

the depreciable amount of all fixed assets is depreciated on a straight-line basis so as to write off the values of each depreciable asset, less its estimated residual value, progressively over its estimated useful life to Q-comp. Depreciation rates are reviewed annually to ensure the carrying amounts reflect the remaining useful lives of the respective assets.

the depreciation rates for each class of depreciable asset are as follows:

computer hardware 14.29% to 25% motor vehicles 20% to 33.3% (to residual value) office equipment 10% to 20% leasehold improvements 10%

Assets under construction (work-in-progress) are not depreciated until they reach service delivery capacity.




Intangibles(k)

intangible assets with a cost or other value greater than $100,000 are recognised in the financial statements, items with a lesser value being expensed. each intangible asset is amortised over its useful life to the agency, less any anticipated residual value. the residual value is zero for all the Authority’s intangible assets.

it has been determined that there is not an active market for any of the Authority’s intangible asset. As such, the assets are recognised and carried at cost less accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.

Internally generated software

costs associated with the development of computer software have been capitalised and are amortised on a straight–line basis over the period of expected benefit to the Authority. Amortisation rates applied range between 10–20%.

Impairment of non-current assets(l)

All non-current physical and intangible assets are assessed for indicators of impairment on an annual basis. if an indicator of possible impairment exists, Q-comp determines the asset’s recoverable amount. Any amount by which the asset’s carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount is recorded as an impairment loss.

the asset’s recoverable amount is determined as the higher of the asset’s fair value less costs to sell and depreciated replacement cost.

An impairment loss is recognised immediately in the income statement, unless the asset is carried at a re-valued amount. When the asset is measured at a re-valued amount, the impairment loss is offset against the asset revaluation reserve of the relevant class to the extent available.

Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised as income, unless the asset is carried at a re-valued amount, in which case the reversal of the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation increase.

leases(m)

At the reporting date, Q-comp only held operating leases. the payments and receipts for these operating leases are charged and credited to the income statement in the periods in which they are incurred and derived.

Insurance(n)

Q-comp’s non-current physical assets and other risks are insured through the Queensland Government insurance Fund, premiums being paid on a risk assessment basis. in addition, the Q-comp pays premiums to Workcover Queensland in respect of its obligations for employee compensation.

Contributed equity(o)

non-reciprocal transfers of assets and liabilities between wholly-owned Queensland State public Sector entities as a result of machinery-of-Government changes are adjusted to ‘contributed equity’ in accordance with interpretation 1038 Contribution by Owners Made to Wholly-Owned Public Sector Entities. Appropriations for equity adjustments are similarly designated.

prior to 1 July 2003, Q-comp was a part of Workcover Queensland. Subsequent to 1 July 2003 when Q-comp became an independent statutory body, the transfer of assets at no cost from Workcover Queensland was treated as a machinery of Government change.

Provisions(p)

provisions are recorded when Q-comp has a present obligation, either legal or constructive as a result of a past event. they are recognised at the amount expected at reporting date at which the obligation will be settled in a future period. Where the settlement of the obligation is expected after 12 or more months, the obligation is discounted at the present value using the pre-tax discount rate. the amounts recognised as provisions in relation to the dismantling and removal of assets and the restoration of land on which the assets have been located, have been included in the cost of the assets.

Issuance of financial statements(q)

the financial statements are authorised for issue by the chairman and chief executive officer as at the date of signing the management certificate.

76




Judgements and assumptions(r)

Q-comp has made no judgements or assessments which may cause a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

Financial instruments(s)

Recognition

Financial assets and liabilities are recognised in the balance sheet when the Authority is party to the contractual provisions of the financial instrument.

Classification

Financial instruments are classified and measured as follows:

cash and cash equivalents – held at fair value through profit and loss•

Receivables – held at amortised cost•

Held to maturity investment – held at amortised cost•

payables – held at amortised cost•

Borrowings – held at amortised cost•

Borrowings are held at amortised cost. Any borrowing costs are added to the carrying amount of the borrowing to the extent that they are not settled in the period, in which they arise.

the Authority does not enter into transactions for speculative purposes, nor for hedging. Apart from cash and cash equivalents, the Authority holds no financial assets at fair value through profit and loss.

All disclosures relating to the measurement basis and financial risk management of other financial instrument held by the Authority are included in note 20.

New and revised accounting standards(t)

no Australian accounting standards and interpretations issued or amended and applicable for the first time in the 2007/08 financial year have an effect on the Authority. Also, the Authority has not voluntarily changed any of its accounting policies.

Q-comp is not permitted to early adopt a new accounting standard ahead of the specified commencement date unless approval is obtained from the treasury Department. consequently, the Authority has not applied any Australian accounting standards and interpretations that have been issued but are not yet effective. the authority will apply these standards and interpretations in accordance with their respective commencement dates.

AASB1052 Disaggregated Disclosures is applicable from reporting periods commencing 1 July 2008. the Authority has not yet assessed the impact of this Standard on future disclosure.

AASB101 Presentation of Financial Statements has been revised and is applicable from 1 July 2009. the revised standard has no measurement or recognition implications. However, there will be presentation changes to the Authority’s overall financial performance and position. the Authority has not yet assessed the full impact of this Standard.




2008 2007

$’000 $’000

NOTE 2 revenue from financial assets

interest bank account 1,714 976

net change in fair value of financial assets 711 1,471

2,425 2,447

NOTE 3 Other revenue and gains

revenue(a)

Rehabilitation and return to work coordinator fees * - 138

Application fee for self-insurer licence - 20

Rent revenue 112 107

other revenue 1 66

113 331

* Certification fee for persons successfully completing rehabilitation and return to work coordinator course and registering with Q-COMP

gains(b)

Gain on sale of property, plant and equipment

motor vehicle 2 -

2 -

78




2008 2007

$’000 $’000

NOTE 4 Employee expenses

Employee benefits

Wages and salaries 7,044 6,875

employer superannuation contributions * 716 699

long service leave 243 111

8,003 7,685

Employee related expenses

Workers compensation 14 14

payroll tax 379 342

Staff training and development 195 155

other staff costs 619 17

1,207 528

Total 9,210 8,213

* Costs of workers compensation insurance and payroll tax are a consequence of employing employees, but are not counted in employees’ total remuneration packages. They are not employee benefits, but rather employee related costs. Employer superannuation contributions and long service leave are regarded as employee benefits,

Number Number

the number of employees including both full-time employees and part-time employees measured on a full-time equivalent basis is:

92.2 87.5

Employee remuneration

the number of senior executives who received or were due to receive total remuneration of $1000,000 or more:

$100,000 to $119,999 2 5

$120,000 to $139,999 1 5

$140,000 to $159,000 2 -

$160,000 to $179,999 - -

$180,000 to $199,999 1 -

$200,000 and above 3 3

9 13

$’000 $’000

the total remuneration of executives shown above: 1,622 1,817

** The amount calculated as executive remuneration in these financial statements includes the direct remuneration received, as well as items not directly received by senior executives such as movement in leave accruals and fringe benefits tax paid on motor vehicles. The amount will therefore differ from the advertised executive remuneration packages which do not include the later items.

the total separation and redundancy/termination benefit payments during the year to executives shown above

262 -




2008 2007

$’000 $’000

NOTE 5 supplies and services

travel expenses – solicitors/barristers/doctors 124 148

travel expenses – other 56 64

consultants’ fees 1 29

contractors’ fees * 5,124 4,380

corporate services charges paid to cAA ** 127 112

Rent and associated costs 1,136 1,197

professional fees 90 380

printing costs 135 89

postal charges 98 89

other supplies and services 392 354

7,283 6,842

* The main component of contractors’ fees is payments made to doctors appointed to the medical assessment tribunals by Governor in Council.

** Q-COMP has a service level agreement with the Corporate Administration Agency (CAA) to undertake a number of accounting and payroll services on their behalf.

NOTE 6 Depreciation and amortisation

Depreciation – office equipment 13 22

Depreciation – computer hardware 68 50

Depreciation – motor vehicles 10 6

Depreciation – leasehold improvements 158 158

Amortisation – computer software 68 68

317 304

NOTE 7 scheme expenses

Workplace Health and Safety Grant * 34,309 31,621

Advisory services grants 305 289

Queensland Ambulance Services ** 2,980 2,750

ministerial liaison officer sponsorship 54 52

37,648 34,712

Scheme expenses are collected by Q-comp through insurer levies and contributions under the workers’ compensation scheme and are passed on to the various agencies.

* The Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations instructed Q-COMP (pursuant to s479 of the Workers’ compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003) on 1 June 2007 to contribute $37.740 million (including GST), $34.309 million (excluding GST), in 2007/08 to the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations for injury prevention programmes.

** Payments for discharging liability for pre-hospital patient care and ambulance transfer services for injured workers within the Queensland workers’ compensation scheme.

80




2008 2007

$’000 $’000

NOTE 8 Other expenses

legal fees 2,062 1,595

Finances costs 42 49

Auditors remuneration 30 37

Asset write-off - 6

computer services provided by citec 298 364

Software licence fees and other computer charges 340 143

2,772 2,194

NOTE 9 Cash and cash equivalents

cash at bank and in hand 229 65

Short-term deposits 10,145 12,574

10,374 12,639

NOTE 10 Trade and other receivables

trade debtors 17 43

net GSt Receivable 482 434

499 477

NOTE 11 Other current assets

prepayments 460 241

NOTE 12 Intangible assets

Internally generated computer software

At cost 1,137 1,137

less accumulated amortisation (984) (916)

153 221

Intangibles reconciliation

Internally generated computer software

carrying amount at 1 July 221 289

Amortisation (68) (68)

Carrying amount 30 June 153 221




2008 2007

$’000 $’000

NOTE 13 Property plant and equipment

Plant and equipment

At cost 747 682

less accumulated depreciation (488) (442)

259 240

Leasehold improvements

At cost 1,581 1,581

less accumulated depreciation (422) (263)

1,159 1,318

Total property plant and equipment 1,418 1,558

Property, plant and equipment reconciliation

Plant and equipment leasehold improvements

2008 2007 2008 2007

$’000 $’000 $’000 $’000

carrying amount at 1 July 240 218 1,318 1,476

Additions 115 106 - -

Disposals (6) (6) - -

Depreciation (90) (78) (159) (158)

Carrying amount at 30 June 259 240 1,159 1,318

82




2008 2007

$’000 $’000

NOTE 14 Trade and other payables

trade creditors 349 214

Accrued expenses 372 790

other payables 10 28

731 1,032

NOTE 15 accrued employee benefits

Current

Recreation leave 512 569


outstanding salaries and wages 150 127

other employee benefits 15 15

1,162 1,271

Non-current


344 291

NOTE 16 Provisions

Non-current

Restoration costs * 265 265

265 265

* Q-COMP has an obligation under its lease for 347 Ann Street to restore the office to its original state. The estimate of the cost has been provided by Q-COMP’s Property Advisors. This provision has been calculated using a discount rate of 5%.




2008 2007

$’000 $’000

NOTE 17 reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to net surplus from ordinary activities

Net surplus from ordinary activities (1,874) 2,874

Adjustment for non-cash items

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 317 304

(Gain) on disposal/asset write-off (2) 6

Changes in assets and liabilities

Decrease/(increase) in receivables (22) (131)

Decrease/(increase) in prepayments (213) (56)

increase/(decrease) in payables (301) (2,537)

increase/(decrease) in provisions (56) (47)

increase/(decrease) in other current assets (1) (10)

Net cash provided by operating activities (2,152) 403

NOTE 18 lease commitments

As at 30 June 2008 Q-comp had the following operating lease commitments exclusive of GSt:

Within one year 722 694

one to five years 3,189 3,066

later than five years 2,101 3,908

A new lease for ten years for premises in Ann Street has commenced on 1 november 2005.

NOTE 19 grant commitments

As at 30 June 2008 Q-comp had the following operating grant commitments exclusive of GSt:

Within one year 316 232

one to five years 676 241

84




2008 2007

Note $’000 $’000

Note 20 Financial instruments

Categorisation(a)

the Authority has the following categories of financial assets and financial liabilities.

Financial assets


Receivables 10 499 477

Total 10,873 13,116

Financial liabilities

Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost:

payables 14 731 1,032

Total 731 1,032

Credit risk exposure(b)

the maximum exposure to credit risk at balance date in relation to each class of financial assets is the gross carrying amount of those assets inclusive of any provision for impairment.

the following table represents the Authority’s maximum exposure to credit risk based on contractual amounts net of any allowances:

Maximum exposure to credit risk

Financial assets


Receivables 10 499 477

Total 10,873 13,116

no collateral is held as security and no credit enhancements relate to financial assets held by the Authority.

the Authority manages credit risk through the use of a credit management strategy. this strategy aims to reduce the exposure to credit default by ensuring that the Authority invests in secure assets and monitors all funds owned on a timely basis. exposure to credit risk is monitored on an ongoing basis.

no financial assets and financial liabilities have been offset and presented net in the balance sheet.

the method of calculating any provisional impairment for risk is based on past experience, current and expected future changes in economic conditions and changes in client credit ratings. the main factors affecting the current calculation for provisions are disclosed below as loss events. these economic and geographic changes form part of the Authority’s documented risk analysis assessments in conjunction with historic experience and associated industry data.

no financial assets have had their terms renegotiated so as to prevent them from being past due or impaired, and are stated at the carrying amounts as indicated.

no financial assets disclosed in these financial statements for 2007/08 or 2006/07 are past due or impaired.




2008 interest rate risk

Financial instrument Carrying amount - 1% + 1%

Profit Equity Profit Equity

cash 10,374 (103) (103) 103 103

Overall effect on profit and equity (103) (103) 103 103

2007 interest rate risk

Financial instrument Carrying amount - 1% + 1%

Profit Equity Profit Equity

cash 12,679 (127) (127) 127 127

Overall effect on profit and equity (127) (127) 127 127

Fair value

the fair value of financial assets and liabilities is determined as follows:

the carrying amount of cash, cash equivalents, payables approximate their fair value.•

Held-to-maturity financial assets are measured at cost, as fair value cannot be reliably measured; therefore no fair value •is disclosed.

the carrying amounts of all financial assets and liabilities are representative of their fair value.

(c) liquidity risk

the Authority manages liquidity risk through the use of a liquidity management strategy. the strategy aims to reduce the exposure to liquidity risk by ensuring the Authority has sufficient funds available to meet employee and any supplier obligations as they fall due. this is achieved by ensuring that minimum levels of cash are held within the various bank accounts to match the expected duration of the various employee and supplier liabilities.

All financial liabilities disclosed in these financial statements for 2007/08 or 2006/07 are due within one year.

(d) Market risk

the Authority does not trade in foreign currency and is not materially exposed commodity price changes. the Authority is exposed to interest rate risk through cash deposited in interest bearing accounts. the Authority does not undertake hedging in relation to interest risk and manages its risk as per the liquidity risk management strategy.

Interest rate sensitivity analysis

the following interest rate sensitivity analysis is based on a report similar to that which would be provided to management, depicting the outcome to profit and loss if interest rates would change by +/- 1% from the year end rate applicable to the Authority’s financial assets and liabilities. With all other variables held constant, the Authority would have a surplus and equity increase/(decrease) of $103,000 (2007: $127,000). this is mainly due to the Authority’s exposure to variable interest rates on deposits with Queensland treasury and Queensland investment corporation.

86




NOTE 21 Contingent liability

At the 30 June 2008, there are eight review decisions awaiting industrial magistrate decisions. if the appeal is upheld in one or more cases costs could be awarded against Q-comp. As there is no way of knowing the outcome of these cases or the quantum of costs, no provision has been made in this financial report.

NOTE 22 related parties

Directors of Q-comp are appointed for a three-year period and the following persons held the position of director in 2007/08:

mr paul Braddy chairman

mr peter Henneken Deputy chairman

Dr Beres Wenck

mr patrick mcKendry

mr chris Rodwell

mr tom Jeffers (Appointed 19 october 2007)

mr chris Barrett (term completed 7 December 2007)

mr Garry Ryan (term completed 13 July 2007)

total remuneration paid to Directors of Q-comp as directors for the financial year was $58,843 (2006/07 – $54,370). During 2007/08, four directors waived their right for the payment of remuneration in favour of payment to their respective employer organisations as a fee for service basis for the same amount. payments on this basis amounted to $9,616 (2006/2007 – $8,350).

mr Jeffers, mr Rodwell and mr Barrett held senior positions with peak worker bodies that received grants and other fees totalling $274,627 (2006/07 – $248,051) for the provision of advisory information and other workers’ compensation related services during 2007/08. the terms and conditions of any transactions with Directors and their related entities were on an arm’s length basis and were no more favourable than those available, or which might reasonably be expected to be available, on similar transactions to non-Director related entities. mr Jeffers, mr Rodwell and mr Barrett declared their conflict of interest when these matters were on the Board agenda and absented themselves from all discussions in relation to these grants.

three directors were appointed to the selection panels for nomination of Specialty medical Assessment tribunal members to Governor in council on the basis of their expertise and qualifications. these appointments were outside their capacity as directors and attracted fees of $5,531. one Director nominated that these fees be paid to their employer. these fees were similar to fees of other members of the selection panel.

As a public servant no payment was paid or is applicable to mr Henneken.

87q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 ceRtiFicAte oF tHe WoRKeRS’ compenSAtion ReGulAtoRy AutHoRity (tRADinG AS Q-comp)

Certificate of the workers’ Compensation regulatory authority (trading as q-COMP)

these general purpose financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the provisions of section 46F(1) of the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977 (the Act), and other prescribed requirements. in accordance with section 46F(3) of the Act we certify that in our opinion:

(a) the prescribed requirements for the establishment and keeping the accounts have been complied with in all material respects; and

(b) the statements have been drawn up to present a true and fair view, in accordance with prescribed accounting standards, of the transactions of the Authority for the financial year ended 30 June 2008 and of the financial position of the Authority at the end of that year.

e WooDS p BRADDy cHieF eXecutiVe oFFiceR cHAiRmAn Date: 26 August 2008 Date: 26 August 2008

88

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 inDepenDent AuDitoR’S RepoRt88

RQ cole

Delegate of the Auditor-General of Queensland

Independent auditor’s report

to the Board of the Workers’ compensation Regulatory Authority (trading as Q-comp)

Matters relating to the electronic Presentation of the audited Financial report

the audit report relates to the financial report of Q-comp for the financial year ended 30 June 2008 included on Q-comp’s web site. the Board is responsible for

the integrity of the Q-comp’s web site. We have not been engaged to report on the integrity of Q-comp’s web site. the audit report refers only to the statements

named below. it does not provide an opinion on any other information which may have been hyperlinked to/from these statements. if users of the financial report are

concerned with the inherent risks arising from electronic date communications they are advised to refer to the hard copy of the audtiit financial report, available from

Q-comp, to confirm the information included in the audited financial report presented on this web site.

report on the Financial report

i have audited the accompanying financial report of Q-comp which comprises the balance sheet as at 30 June 2008, and the income statement, statement of

changes in equity and cash flow statement for the year ended on that date, a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory notes and certificates

given by the chairman and the chief executive officer of Q-comp.

The Board’s Responsibility for the Financial Report

the Board is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in accordance with prescribed accounting requirements identified in the

Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977 and the Financial Management Standard 1997, including compliance with applicable Australian Accounting Standards

(including the Australian Accounting interpretations). this responsibility includes establishing and maintaining internal controls relevant to the preparation and fair

presentation of the financial report that is free from misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; selecting and applying appropriate accounting policies; and making

accounting estimates that are reasonable in the circumstances.

Audit Responsibility

my responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on the audit. the audit was conducted in accordance with Auditor-General of Queensland

Auditing Standards, which incorporate the Australian Auditing Standards. these Auditing Standards require compliance with relevant ethical requirements relating to

audit engagements and that the audit is planned and performed to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. the procedures selected depend on the

auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of risks of material misstatement in the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. in making those risk assessments,

the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in order to design audit procedures that are

appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control, other than in expressing

an opinion on compliance with prescribed requirements. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies and the reasonableness

of accounting estimates made by the Board, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report including any mandatory financial reporting

requirements as approved by the treasurer for application in Queensland.

i believe that the audit evidence obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my audit opinion.

Independence

the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977 promotes the independence of the Auditor-General and QAo authorised auditors. the Auditor-General is the

auditor of all Queensland public sector entities and can only be removed by parliament.

the Auditor-General may conduct an audit in any way considered appropriate and is not subject to direction by any person about the way in which audit powers are

to be exercised. the Auditor-General has for the purposes of conducting an audit, access to all documents and property and can report to parliament matters which

in the Auditor-General’s opinion are significant.

Auditor’s opinion

in accordance with s.46G of the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977 –

(a) i have received all the information and explanations which i have required; and

(b) in my opinion –

(i) the prescribed requirements in respect of the establishment and keeping of accounts have been complied with in all material respects; and

(ii) the financial report has been drawn up so as to present a true and fair view, in accordance with the prescribed accounting standards of the transactions

of Q-comp for the financial year 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 and of the financial position as at the end of that year.

WHK Horwath

Signed at Brisbane on 28 August 2008

liability limited by a scheme approved under professional standards legislation

89q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Appendices

the following information is to be read with Figure 9 Proportion of claims with of dispute (see 11) because it informs the

interpretation of the figures in the graph.

indicator 22 shows the number of new disputes as a proportion of new claims lodged in the reference financial year.

therefore the dispute may not be in relation to a claim lodged in the same year. it should also be noted that the number of

new claims used in this calculation is all claims lodged within a jurisdiction. indicator 22 shows that the Australian disputation

rate decreased to 8.6% of claims lodged in 2005–06. However it still remains above the rate reported in 2002–03

(8.2% of claims lodged).

decreases from the previous year were recorded in most jurisdictions with increases recorded in new south Wales and south

Australia while Western Australia recorded no change. Queensland reported the lowest disputation rate of all the Australian

jurisdictions at 3.8% of claims lodged, with seacare recording the highest rate at 28.8% of claims lodged.

the significant fall reported in new south Wales from 2001–02 to 2002–03 is primarily a result of the introduction of

legislative changes to reform the dispute resolution system operating in the state from 1 January 2002. Workers injured

prior to 1 January 2002 were given until 1 April 2002 to lodge a dispute under the old system. this resulted in a high

number of disputes being lodged in the first three months of 2002 and very few disputes over the period 1 April 2002

to 30 June 2003. in south Australia, there is provision for deeming delayed, non-exempt decisions as disputes. this may

increase the rate for this scheme compared to other jurisdictions.

the disputation rate for tasmania is influenced by the existence of a preliminary dispute process that was originally intended

to protect workers against frivolous and vexatious disputes by employers.

From July 2001, tasmanian employers were required to make weekly payments on an interim or without prejudice basis

until liability was either accepted or the tribunal had determined that a ‘genuine dispute’ existed. less than half the number

of ‘genuine disputes’ proceeded to a hearing. From July 2004, the genuine dispute test was replaced by a higher ‘reasonably

arguable case’ test and the period allowed to determine liability was increased from 28 days to 84 days. these changes have

had a dramatic impact on the number of initial liability disputes.

the new Zealand disputation rate is very low because of the universal nature of new Zealand’s accident compensation

scheme. since people who have accidents are covered whether the accident occurs at work, home, on the road, playing

sport etc., and whether they are employed, self-employed or a non-earner (child, pensioner, student, unemployed), there

are very few disputes relating to cover.

ReferenceWorkplace Relations Ministers’ council comparative performance Monitoring (cpM) Report: comparison of occupational health and safety and workers’

compensation schemes in Australia and new Zealand, ninth edition, February 08; pages 28–29.

© commonwealth of Australia 2006 (department of education, employment and Workplace Relations). isBn no. 978-0-642-32711-6

Appendix 1 CPM Report information

90

the following information is to be read with Figure 11 Percentage of disputes resolved in selected time periods (cumulative)

(see page 25) because it informs the interpretation of the figures in the graph.

the resolution times for new south Wales are impacted on by a number of distinguishing features of the Workers’

compensation commission (Wcc) which inherently increase the time taken to finalise disputes. these features include:

the Wcc incorporates a mandatory binding medical assessment process into their proceedings in relation to disputes over •

the quantum of permanent impairment entitlements. entitlement to compensation for permanent impairment is disputed

in over 70% of Applications to Resolve a dispute lodged with the commission

the Wcc incorporates appellate processes for both decisions of arbitrators and decisions of approved medical specialists. •

the commission’s figures include appeals against binding medical decisions and appeals against decisions by arbitrators

(both interlocutory decisions and substantive decisions by arbitrators), and

the Wcc also has a 10 week information exchange period, to provide for material under direction for production •

(subpoena) to be obtained, during which no dispute resolution intervention is undertaken.

similarly, the resolution times for Victoria are impacted by the compulsory conciliation process which may or may not

involve medical panel referral and the fact that court litigation can only occur at the conclusion of the compulsory

conciliation process.

Reference

Workplace Relations Ministers’ council comparative performance Monitoring (cpM) Report: comparison of occupational health and safety and workers’

compensation schemes in Australia and new Zealand, ninth edition, February 08; page 30. © commonwealth of Australia 2006 (department of education,

employment and Workplace Relations). isBn no. 978-0-642-32711-6

Appendix 2 Q-COMP’s health and safety statistics

07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04

number of workplace health and safety incidents 0 0 1 0 0

number of lost time injuries 0 1 0 0 0

number of workers’ compensation claims 1a 4b 2 a 0 0

number of return to work programs 0 0 0 0 3c

percentage of employees who had flu shots 42% 48% 55% 51% 49%

percentage of employees who had work station assessmentsd 39.5 36.5

a journey claims with no time lostb three were journey claims with no time lostc non work-related injuriesd work station assessment program commenced in 06/07

34 Q-coMp workplace health and safety statistics

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 Appendices

91

Appendix 3 Stakeholder relationships and awareness

35 Workplace rehabilitation

Workplace rehabilitation policy and procedure accreditation 07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04

Accredited employers 1,837 1,705 1,663 1,587 1,619

Accreditations processed:

new 207 166 228 115 125

Renewals 478 326 421 530 361

total processed 685 492 649 645 486

Rehabilitation and return to work coordinator registration

total registered as at 30 June 10,703 9,772 9,196 8,895 7,785

Registrations processed:

new 2,275 1,824 1,960 1,966 1,689

Renewals 2,029 1,757 1,196 1,516 1,614

Total processed 4,304 3,581 3,156 3,482 3,303

36 self-insurer licences

07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04

continuing licences 21 8 13 12 24

licences renewed

Four-year duration 2 14 10

three-year duration 0 2 2

two-year duration 0 0 0 11 11

one-year duration 0 0 0 2 0

licences not renewed 0 0 1 0 0

new licence applications 1 1 1* 1 1

total licences as at 30 June 24 25 26 26 25

licences cancelled (effective 1 July) 1 0 2 0 0

employers covered as at 30 June 236 290 281 274 250

*undetermined

note: 1. prior to 05/06, self-insurance licences were granted for one or two year periods.

2. Fewer employers covered due to the local government amalgamations.


92

37 list of workers’ compensation insurers (Workcover Queensland and self-insurers) as at 30 June 08*

1. Aged care employers self-insurance Group

2. Arnott’s Biscuits limited

3. Australia and new Zealand Banking Group limited

4. swift Australia pty ltd

5. BHp Billiton limited

6. Brisbane city council

7. coles Group limited

8. commonwealth Bank of Australia

9. consolidated Meat Group pty limited

10. council of the city of Gold coast

11. csR limited

12. Jupiters limited

13. local Government Workcare

14. nB Flinders pty ltd (Myer Group)

15. onesteel limited

16. Qantas Airways limited

17. QR limited

18. Redland city council

19. the university of Queensland

20. toll Holdings limited

21. townsville city council

22. Westpac Banking corporation

23. Woolworths limited

24. Workcover Queensland

25. Xstrata Queensland limited

*for the most current list visit www.qcomp.com.au


93

38 insurer claims decision review and appeals process

insurer makes a decision on a workers’ compensation claim or premium matter.1.

A worker or employer who is aggrieved with the insurer’s decision may apply to Q-coMp for a review within three 2.

months of insurer decision.

Q-coMp completes the review within 25 business days.3.

Q-coMp sends notice of the decision including reasons to the applicant within 10 business days of making the decision.4.

A worker or employer who is aggrieved by Q-coMp’s review decision may lodge appeal with an industrial Magistrate or 5.

the Queensland industrial Relations commission and must serve Q-coMp with a copy of the notice of appeal within 20

business days of receiving the decision.

Q-coMp’s appeals officer notifies the insurer and other party to resolve the matter or otherwise prepares to defend the 6.

matter in the court or commission.

the industrial Magistrate or commissioner makes their decision.7.

A person aggrieved with the court or commission decision may appeal to the industrial court.8.

industrial court makes the final decision–there is no further avenue of appeal.9.

39 MAt process

insurer refers worker to a tribunal.•

the secretariat checks all information supplied (Reference to tribunal; copies of relevant documents).•

A tribunal officer calls worker and makes appointment.•

Appointment letter and relevant documents sent to worker within 10 days of referral receipt.•

the worker and insurer may provide submissions to the tribunal*.•

the worker attends the tribunal hearing for clinical assessment and interview.•

tribunal doctors consider the medical evidence and determine the matter.•

the secretariat sends the tribunal’s written decision to the worker and insurer.•

* At least 10 business days before the tribunal hearing, the worker may provide the tribunal and the insurer with a submission and/or additional documents they

wish the tribunal to consider. At least three business days before the hearing, the insurer may give the tribunal and the worker a written submission on the

factual matters referred to in the worker’s submission or documents

Rights of review of a tribunal decisionthe decision of the tribunal is final and binding on both the insurer and the worker, unless the worker submits fresh medical evidence for review of the decision within twelve months of the original hearing. A review panel will evaluate any fresh evidence. if the evidence is accepted, the worker will be referred to the appropriate tribunal for a review of the decision; however, if the tribunal has been requested by the insurer to consider a matter under the Workers’ Compensation Act 1916, this provision for submission of fresh medical evidence does not apply.

Appendix 4 Customer service excellence – review and appeal

Appendix 5 Customer service excellence – MAT


94


Indicators 2008/09 Stable Sparkline

claims registered claim frequency (per 1000 employees)

Fatalities

claim decisions Average days to determine liability

% determined within 20 days

Rejection rate - physical

Rejection rate - psychiatric

open claims time lost



other

closed claims Fatal

latent onset

permanent impairment

time lost



other

Average cost

Average duration

closed as % of open

common law claim frequency (per 1000 employees)

% common law/statutory claims

Average cost

claim payments $m Weekly compensation

Medical and rehabilitation

Hospital

lump sum

other statutory

common law settlements and costs

q-comp reviews and appeals Rate of review

Rate of appeal

ministerials number of ministerial complaints

Scheme stability indicators

We will report scheme performance monthly to the Q-coMp board.

data will be presented in the scheme stability indicators template. Results will be listed under ‘2008/09’, a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will indicate stability and a graph in the ‘sparkline’ column will show upper and lower control limits calculated for each indicator (see example below). We will investigate and comment on any indicators which are not within the control limit.

Scheme stability indicators template

indicator indicator description Result no

Appendix 6 Our performance measures

95

q-comp performance indicators As with scheme performance, we will report on our services monthly to the Q-coMp board.

the following template shows 2008/09 targets and how the data will be presented.

Indicator Target Actual

q-comp services

Review timely – % within 25 days excluding extensions and procedural fairness 90%

service – % rating customer service provided by the Review unit as good 75%

Quality – % pass quality audit by the legal services unit 90%

efficiency – cost per review completed $ to be set

Appeals timely – % court events within legislated timeframes 90%

service – % rating customer service provided by the Appeals unit as good 75%

Quality – qualitative rating of appeals management by the legal services unit 90%

efficiency – cost per appeal completed $ to be set

Tribunal Secretariat

timely – % within agreed timeframes (7 weeks for block booked, 9 weeks other) 90%

service – % rating customer service provided by the tribunal secretariat as good 75%

Quality – % internal processing benchmarks met 90%

efficiency – cost per referral received $ to be set

Insurer and employer performance and compliance

service – % rating customer service provided by the customer service Group as good 75%

Quality – % of self-insurers classed as high performers 95%

% of employers with approved policies and procedures 90%

% of employers with approved rehabilitation and return to work coordinator 90%

Scheme-wide database management

timely – % of data collected within agreed timeframes 95%

service – % rating customer service provided through load process as good 75%

Quality – error rates per 1,000 claims $ to be set

Strategic performance

customer service (benchmarked and monitored via survey)

professionalism (benchmarked and monitored via survey)

national workers’ compensation issues (not measurable)

durable return to work (benchmarks to be set)

education (benchmarks to be set)

employer of choice (survey)


96

Appeals – interlocutory – these are questions of law

raised by the industrial Magistrate or commissioner to

the industrial court during a substantive appeal. once

the industrial court has decided the interlocutory appeal,

this decision goes back to the industrial Magistrate or

commissioner to continue with the original appeal hearing.

Approved form – Forms approved under the Workers’

Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 by Q-coMp’s

chief executive officer for regulatory purposes or

Workcover Queensland’s chief executive officer for

Workcover Queensland insurance polices.

Average defendant’s cost – the average defendant’s

cost, regardless of when payments were made, of finalised

common law claims (this does not include claims with a

$0 settlement amount).

Average finalised time lost claim cost – the average

statutory cost of finalised time lost claims, including any

excess amount paid for by the employer. claims with

compensation together with lump sum payments are

included as time lost claims.

Average finalised time lost claim durations – the

average work days lost due to an injury on finalised time

lost claims, including any work days lost paid for by the

employer. claims with compensation together with lump

sum payments are included as time lost claims.

Average finalised claim cost – the average statutory

cost of finalised claims.

Average plaintiff’s cost – the average plaintiff’s cost,

regardless of when payments were made, of finalised

common law claims (this does not include claims with a $0

settlement amount).

Average settlement cost – the average settlement

cost, regardless of when payments were made, of finalised

common law claims (this does not include claims with a $0

settlement amount).

Average time from injury to lodgement – the average

time, in years, from injury date to common law lodgement.

these are based on the lodgement year of the common

law claim.

Average time from lodgement to finalisation – the

average time, in years, from the common law claim

lodgement to common law finalisation. these are based on

the finalisation year of the common law claim.

Accredited workplace – “a workplace that has

workplace rehabilitation policies and procedures” (section

45, the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act

2003). Gaining accreditation formalises the process for

rehabilitation in the workplace. this requires:

a workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures •

approved by Q-coMp

a registered rehabilitation and return to work coordinator •

in Queensland who is an employee or contracted to

provide this service.

Admitted claims – the insurer allows the application for

compensation and liability continues to be accepted by

the insurer (this is considered to be an initial decision on

the claim).

Adverse information – information that may impact

on any party in the review. For example, information that

supports a worker’s claim may affect the employer’s

premium should the review decision overturn the insurer’s

original decision to reject the claim. the information is

therefore adverse to the employer.

Aggravation – An injury that occurs when a pre-existing

injury, disease or medical condition is made worse and or

symptomatic. An aggravation may be covered by workers’

compensation if the aggravation arises out of, or in the

course of, employment and the employment is a significant

contributing factor to the aggravation.

American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the

Evaluation of Permanent Impairment – the 4th edition

is currently used by tribunal members when assessing

permanent impairment. We are currently coordinating an

inter-agency evaluation of the 6th edition.

Allied health providers – examples include

physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists

(see also Registered persons).

Appeals – Workers or employers aggrieved by the

outcome of a Q-coMp review can further appeal to the

industrial Magistrate or the Queensland industrial Relations

commission within 28 days of receiving Q-coMp’s

decision. Workcover Queensland can also appeal premium-

related review decisions to the industrial Magistrate.

Glossary

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 GlossARy

97

Better practice in return to work guide – Q-coMp

publication promoting better rehabilitation practice.

Cases Determined (MAT) – All cases heard and

determined by the Medical Assessment tribunals.

Claim – common name for an application

for compensation.

Claim decisions – the decision made on the claim after

the claim has been entered or intimated onto the insurer’s

computer system. it refers to whether the insurer has

accepted liability or rejected liability for the claim.

Claim file – Held by an insurer and containing the

application for compensation form, medical certificates,

any documents provided by the claimant as well as other

documents received or generated by the insurer when

managing the claim.

Claimant – A “person who lodges an application

for compensation” (the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003).

Classification group employer – two or more employers

with the same Workcover industry classification that are in

a pre-existing stable business relationship of at least two

years. examples of classification group employer licences

issued by Q-coMp are local government authorities

through local Government Workcare and the Aged care

employers self-insurance Group (Aces).

Common law claim – Made by an injured worker who

commences common law action through the courts

against their employer for negligence (they are ‘suing’

their employer). the courts award common law damages

payments for economic loss, pain and suffering, legal costs,

and medical and hospital costs.

Common law claim lodgements – All common law

claims lodged with insurers, regardless of the outcome.

if a common law claim is associated with more than one

statutory claim, it will be counted for each statutory

claim it is associated with (i.e. if one common law claim is

associated with three statutory claims, the common law

lodgement has been counted three times).

Common law claim payments – All common law

payments made within the financial year.

Compensation – Amounts for a worker’s injury payable

under the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation

Act 2003 - chapters 3 (weekly wages and permanent

impairment payments) and 4 (medical and rehabilitation

payments) - by an insurer to a worker, a dependant

of a deceased worker or anyone else, and includes

compensation paid or payable under a former Act.

Comprehend – Q-coMp’s e-learning program which is

operating on the dots (dynamic online training system)

learning management system.

Conceded – Q-coMp indicates to the parties to the

appeal and the court that it will not be defending the

review decision.

Confidentiality – Rehabilitation information must be

treated with sensitivity and confidentiality by all parties,

section 110, the Regulation.

Confirmed – insurer’s decision is confirmed by the Review

unit.

Decided at Court – Appeals that have been dismissed,

struck out or upheld at the industrial Magistrates court.

Defendant’s costs – costs incurred by the defendant.

Department of Employment and Industrial Relations

(Queensland) – Matters of workers’ compensation

policy and scheme design are centralised within this state

government agency.

Disclosure of information – important information,

including personal information, referred to others for their

response. the disclosure could be to the worker, the insurer,

the employer and any other person whose interests might

be affected by the Q-coMp review decision.

Dismissed – After hearing evidence, the Magistrate

has dismissed the appeal and confirmed Q-coMp’s

review decision.

Doctor’s approval – Approval of a worker’s treating

doctor must be obtained and documented for a

rehabilitation and return to work plan if the doctor does

not give sufficient information in the doctor’s medical

certificate or report on which to base the development

of the plan. in addition, a suitable duties program and any

amendments to the program must be consistent with the

current medical certificate or report for the worker’s injury

(the Regulation).

Doctor Q – a monthly magazine published by AMA

Queensland for medical professionals.

Early worker contact – early intervention is one

of the key principles of successful rehabilitation. the

Regulation specifies that a worker who sustains an injury

and who requires rehabilitation must be contacted about

rehabilitation and return to work as soon as practicable

after the injury is sustained or is reported.

Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP) – a

six-month program including theory, experiential activities,

worksite visits and a team-based strategic project.


98

Employees covered – under legislation, the type of

workers covered by workers’ compensation varies. Between

1 July 1997 and 30 June 2000 a “worker” was limited to

pAye taxpayers, before and after this period the definition

of a worker included anybody working under a contract

of service. using ABs definitions, employees are always

covered by workers’ compensation. “own account workers”

are covered prior to 1 July 1997 and after 30 June 2000

and “employers” and “contributing family members” are

not covered.

Employer – An employer employs a worker or workers

in Queensland. the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003 (section 30) provides a full

description of an employer under the Queensland workers’


Employer’s obligation for rehabilitation – under the

Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003,

employers are obliged to participate in rehabilitation.

this obligation includes offering suitable duties and

graduated return to work programs as appropriate. these

rehabilitation programs must be approved by the treating

medical practitioner.

Fatal claims – All claims where an injury or disease caused

the death of an injured worker, excluding cancelled and

rejected claims.

Finalised Claims – it is considered that the liability has

ended through the normal course of the claim (even

if it is possible that a continuation may occur in the

future), or that an insurer has terminated entitlements

to compensation.

Finity Consulting/Finity report – Q-coMp

commissioned Finity consulting to assess and compare

the Queensland scheme benefit structure and dispute

resolution processes with comcare and the major schemes

of other states. the Finity report was released to scheme

stakeholders in mid-July 07 at a series of presentations to

union, employer, insurer and provider groups.

GMAT (Psych) – General Medical Assessment tribunal

– psychiatric.

GMAT (Other) – General Medical Assessment tribunals

including the Medical, Vascular, surgical, urology,

Gynaecology, thoracic and Rheumatology specialties.

(excludes General Medical Assessment tribunal

– psychiatric).

Heads of Workers’ Compensation Authorities

(HWCA) – chief executives of the peak bodies responsible

for regulating workers’ compensation in Australia and

new Zealand.

Health Report – a quarterly Q-coMp publication for allied

health professionals.

High risk industries – certain industries have been

specifically designated under schedule 5A of the Regulation

as high risk industries for the purposes of employers’

obligations for rehabilitation. these include Agriculture,

Forestry and Fishing, Mining, Manufacturing, construction,

transport and storage, Health and community

services, personal and other services-public order and

safety services.

Impairment – the Act describes impairment from injury

as being “a loss of, or loss of efficient use of, any part of a

worker’s body”. this includes psychological injuries.

Impairment of assets – see Financial statements

note 1(k).

Industry – All industry codes are based on the insurers’

coding of industry to the divisions from the “Australian

and new Zealand standard industry classification”

(AnZsic), ABs.

Industrial deafness – “loss of hearing (other than total

loss of hearing in either ear) caused by excessive noise”

(schedule 6, the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation

Act 2003).

Industrial instrument – An award or a workplace

agreement that governs the conditions of a worker’s

employment. the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003 describes an industrial instrument

as any of the following under the Industrial Relations

Act 1999:

an award •

a certified agreement •

an industrial agreement •

an eFA •

a QWA •

an order under certain parts of that Act; or •

an award or agreement under the • Workplace Relations

Act 1996 (cwlth).

Industrial Court – the last court of appeal of Q-coMp

review decisions.

Industrial Magistrates Courts – one of the jurisdictions

where appeals of Q-coMp review decisions are

heard. the other is the Queensland industrial Relations

commission (QiRc).


99

Injury – A “personal injury arising out of, or in the

course of, employment if the employment is a significant

contributing factor to the injury”, section 32, the Workers’

Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003. the Workers’

Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 also describes

other situations or circumstances where an injury may

or may not be covered within the Queensland workers’


InQ – Q-coMp’s quarterly employee newsletter

(pronounced ‘ink’).

Insurer performance management program (IPMP) –

assists insurers to meet their obligations under the Act by

measuring performance against key elements.

Insurer Report – a quarterly Q-coMp publication

for insurers.

Insurer risk profile – quarterly assessment by Q-coMp

of individual insurers on performance and compliance, with

a six-monthly update to the board.

Injury nature – All injury codes are based on the insurers’

coding of injury to the nature and location codes of the

“type of occurrence classification system”, second edition,

national occupational Health and safety commission

(noHsc). Where large numbers of injury nature

classifications occurred (such as strain/sprain and open

wound) they have been further broken down using the

location of the injury.

Interlocutory appeals – these are questions of law

raised by the industrial Magistrate or commissioner to

the industrial court during a substantive appeal. once

the industrial court has decided the interlocutory appeal,

this decision goes back to the industrial Magistrate or

commissioner to continue with the original appeal hearing.

Intimations – All claims lodged with insurers, regardless of

the outcome (i.e. includes cancelled and rejected claims).

Issues Management Database (within QCS) –

captures complete and accurate data about issues raised

by stakeholders about Q-coMp and the scheme, and

resolutions achieved. the data captured is reported to

insurers (as part of the insurer performance monitoring

framework), to the Q-coMp Board and government.

Medical Assessment Tribunals Quarterly Report

– a Q-coMp newsletter that updates tribunal

members about important matters for running medical

assessment tribunals.

Medical certificate (Q-COMP Medical Certificate) –

An approved form completed by a worker’s treating medical

practitioner or dentist (dental injuries) for the worker’s

injury. the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation

Act 2003 states that an application for compensation must

be accompanied by a certificate in the approved form from

a doctor who attended the claimant.

Medical expense only claim – All claims which have

had medical treatment and rehabilitation payments,

excluding those that also had compensation, lump sum or

fatality payments.

Medical treatment – the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003 describes medical treatment

as being:

treatment by a doctor, dentist, physiotherapist, •

occupational therapist, psychologist, chiropractor,

osteopath, podiatrist or speech pathologist;

or

assessment for industrial deafness by an audiologist; or •

the provision of diagnostic procedures or skiagrams; or •

the provision of nursing, medicines, medical or •

surgical supplies, curative apparatus, crutches or other

assistive devices.

Mesothelioma or asbestosis – the injury nature codes

‘630’, ‘810’ and ‘860’ from the “type of occurrence

classification system”, second edition, national

occupational Health and safety commission (noHsc) and

injury nature codes ‘783’, ‘861’ and ‘866’ from the “type of

occurrence classification system”, third edition, national

occupational Health and safety commission (noHsc)

have been renamed mesothelioma or asbestosis injury in

this publication.

Mitigate loss – the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003 advises that the common law

duty of mitigation of loss applies to the worker and that

the worker’s duty may be discharged by participating

in rehabilitation.

Moment mapping – A process that examines interactions

with customers. it looks at any gaps in the interactions

(white space) and identifies opportunities to improve

those interactions.

Normal weekly earnings – earnings of a worker from

employment (continuous or intermittent) in the 12 months

immediately before the day the worker sustained an injury.

Ongoing capacity for work – the insurer is asking

whether the worker’s ongoing incapacity for work is related

to the accepted work injury.


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Permanent impairment – the Workers’ Compensation

and Rehabilitation Act 2003 describes permanent

impairment from injury as being “an impairment that is

stable and stationary and not likely to improve with further

medical or surgical treatment” (section 38).

Personal representation (right of appearance) – An

opportunity for applicants to provide the Review officer

with any additional information or point out particular

issues or knowledge they have regarding their case. it is an

informal meeting (either face-to-face or by telephone),

conducted in a non-threatening and non-legal way. in

face-to-face meetings, applicants can attend with their

representatives, either legal or non-legal. they can also

bring a relative or friend for support if they wish.

Plaintiff’s costs – costs incurred by the plaintiff.

Principles of workplace rehabilitation – that workplace

rehabilitation be industry based; function oriented; involve

early intervention, a multidisciplinary team approach and

shared responsibility to ensure success.

Prior approval – commitment by the insurer to pay

for the costs of the service when it is completed. some

services require prior approval from insurers before

payment. the services requiring prior approval are set out

in the relevant supplementary schedules.

Prudential risk factor – Bank guarantees retained by

Q-coMp as a percentage of the total claims liability for

self-insurers.

Psychological and psychiatric injuries – the injury

nature code ‘910’ from the “type of occurrence

classification system”, second edition, national

occupational Health and safety commission (noHsc) has

been renamed psychological and psychiatric injuries in the

statistics publication and includes claims commonly referred

to as “stress” claims. see our 07/08 statistics Report for

the full definition.

QAS – Queensland Ambulance service.

Q-COMP – Q-coMp’s primary function under the

Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 is to

regulate the workers’ compensation scheme. the Workers’

Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 sets out very

clearly the specific functions and powers that enable

Q-coMp to enforce the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003 as the regulator.

Q-COMP Core System database (QCS) – Maintains

information about individuals, employers and insurers

and their interaction with Q-coMp, e.g. injured workers

attending medical assessment tribunals, employers or

workers applying for a review, insurer licensing.

Qdos – Q-coMp’s employee engagement program (kudos).

QIRC (Queensland Industrial Relations Commission) –

one of the jurisdictions where appeals of Q-coMp

review decisions are heard. the other is the industrial

Magistrates court.

QOTE – the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation

Act 2003 describes Qote for a financial year as being

“the seasonally adjusted amount of Queensland full time

adult persons ordinary time earnings as declared by the

Australian Statistician in the statistician’s report about

average weekly earnings published immediately before

the start of the financial year”. Qote is used in certain

circumstances by insurers when calculating a person’s

compensation payments.

Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC)

– one of the jurisdictions where appeals of Q-coMp

review decisions are heard. the other is the industrial

Magistrates court.

Queensland Scheme-wide Analysis database (QSA) –

Maintains and manages all insurers’ claims data, including

basic claim information, payment information, details about

the injured worker, compensation periods and common

law information.

Referral reasons – MAT – the specific questions which

can be asked of a medical assessment tribunal are defined in

the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 as:

ongoing capacity for work• – the insurer is asking

whether the worker’s ongoing incapacity for work is

related to the accepted work injury.

permanent impairment (PI) assessment• – the

insurer is asking the tribunal to determine whether the

worker has sustained a permanent impairment. under

the legislation for psychiatric or psychological injuries

the MAt must determine the degree of pi.

disputed PI• – this reference would be used if the

worker does not agree with the permanent impairment

which has been independently assessed by the insurer.

access to damages• – this is for instances where an

application for statutory compensation has not been

lodged and the insurer has not admitted that the worker

sustained an injury. the worker is seeking common

law damages.

application for compensation• – this reference

is used when a worker has made an application for

compensation. (liability has not been accepted for the

injury for which the worker is claiming). the insurer is

unable to determine liability for the claim due to matters

of a medical nature.


101

prescribed disfigurement• – the insurer requests the

tribunal to assess, by physical examination, whether

the disfigurement is severe enough to be considered

prescribed disfigurement.

other reasons for referral• – includes level of

dependency, further material deterioration, review

panel etc.

Return to work assist – a Q-coMp return to work

initiative for injured workers at risk of losing their job.

QWCDec – Q-coMp’s online database of Queensland

industrial Magistrates’ and industrial commissioners’

workers’ compensation statutory claims decisions.

Registered person – the Act refers to registered

persons as a doctor; dentist; physiotherapist; occupational

therapist; psychologist; chiropractor; osteopath; podiatrist;

speech pathologist; audiologist. the professionals listed

need to be registered by the relevant professional body to

practice their profession in Queensland.

Regulation – the most recent version of the subordinate

legislation governing workers’ compensation in

Queensland. this subordinate legislation is titled Workers’

compensation and Rehabilitation Regulation 2003 and is

used in conjunction with the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003.

Rehabilitation – A strategy to maximise an individual’s

potential for return to their pre-injury physical,

psychological, educational and vocational level. Workplace

rehabilitation focuses on returning the worker to safe,

suitable work at the earliest possible time, ensuring valuable

work skills are not lost, and minimising the human and

financial costs of work injury.

Rehabilitation coordinator –former name given to the

role of the rehabilitation and return to work coordinator.

Rehabilitation and return to work coordinator

(RRTWC) – the employer’s rehabilitation and return to

work coordinator is responsible for assisting in the return

to work of injured workers and coordinating return to

work activities at the workplace. under the Workers’

Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003, an employer

must have workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures

and employ a Rehabilitation and Return to Work coordinator

under a contract (regardless of whether the contract is a

contract of service) if:

the employer employs workers at a workplace in a a.

high risk industry - the wages of the employer in

Queensland for the preceding financial year were

more than $1.63 million (this threshold wages

amount is indexed annually); or

otherwise - the wages of the employer in b.

Queensland for the preceding financial year were

more than $5.577 million.

Rehabilitation and return to work plan – A written plan

outlining the rehabilitation objectives and the steps required

to achieve those objectives. the Regulation provides

guidance regarding rehabilitation and return to work plans.

Rehabilitation provider – Registered health professionals

or providers otherwise approved by an insurer.

Rehabilitation providers provide active support to workers

and employers to design and implement rehabilitation

and return to work plans. some examples of rehabilitation

providers are occupational physicians, occupational

therapists and physiotherapists.

Rejected claims – the application for compensation is

rejected by the workers’ compensation insurer (Workcover

or a self-insurer). this is considered to be the initial decision

on the claim.

Return to work – the worker’s timely, safe and

medically structured return to pre-injury duties, or other

employment, following workplace injury.

Review – Workers and employers can apply to Q-coMp if

they disagree with certain decisions made by their workers’

compensation insurer (Workcover or a self-insurer).

Q-coMp impartially reviews claims and premium decisions.

A review is an administrative review designed to provide an

efficient, timely and cost-effective system for workers and

employers to have insurer decisions reviewed. it is a non-

adversarial and non-judicial process. the review process is

not a reinvestigation of the matter.

Review decision – decision made by Q-coMp after

reviewing the insurer’s decision. the review applicant will

receive a written notice of the review decision and the

reasons for the decision within 14 days after it is made. A

duplicate copy of this will also be given to the other party

(e.g. to the employer if a worker has applied for a review).

Right of appearance – an opportunity offered to review

applicants to discuss their application for review with their

Q-coMp review officer. this can be in person or over

the telephone.

Self-insurance/self-insurers – Queensland employers

who provide worker’s compensation insurance for their

employees, taking on all liabilities for any work-related

injuries. self-insurers manage and pay their own statutory

and damages claims and pay an annual levy to Q-coMp to

cover regulatory and administrative costs.


102

Set aside – insurer’s decision is set aside after Q-coMp’s

administrative review and a new decision substituted.

Settled – the parties to the appeal have negotiated a

settlement out of court.

Settlement payments – settlement payments are

calculated as the gross settlement amount less contributory

negligence less contribution from third party less statutory

claim payments.

Specialty (Other) – Medical assessment tribunals

including the cardiac, dermatology, ear, nose & throat,

ophthalmology and disfigurement specialties.

Stable and stationary – A condition is referred to as

stable and stationary when the condition is not likely to

improve with further medical or surgical treatment.

Standard for rehabilitation – the standard for

rehabilitation within Queensland’s workers’ compensation

scheme is set out in the Regulation and regulates processes

and procedures for doctor’s approval; the worker’s file; the

rehabilitation and return to work plan; the suitable duties

program; case notes; early worker contact; rehabilitation

and confidentiality.

Statutory claim/s – claims for compensation regulated

by the statute – i.e. the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003. circumstances for claim

acceptance, validity, payments and benefits are outlined in

the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003.

Statutory claim payments – All statutory payments

made in the relevant year, including any payments for time

lost made by the employer as part of the compensation

period (excess) as reported by Workcover Queensland.

Suitable duties

the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003

(section 42) defines suitable duties as:

…work duties for which the worker is suited having regard

to the following matters

(a) the nature of the worker’s incapacity and

pre-injury employment

(b) relevant medical information

(c) the rehabilitation plan for the worker

(d) the provisions of the employer’s workplace

rehabilitation policy and procedures

(e) the worker’s age, education, skills and work

experience

(f) if duties are available at a location (the “other

location”) other than the location in which the

worker was injured - whether it is reasonable

to expect the worker to attend the other location

(g) any other relevant matters.

Struck Out – Appeals struck out by the Magistrate or

commissioner because of failure of the appellant to comply

with legislative, court or commission requirements.

Suitable duties program – A graduated plan of short

duration incorporating selected duties that form part of the

rehabilitation and return to work plan. the suitable duties

program must be approved by the worker’s treating medical

practitioner. the treating medical practitioner indicates

their approval of a suitable duties program on the Q-coMp

medical certificate or documented suitable duties program.

Sysaid – information technology helpdesk software.

Time lost claim – All accepted claims which have

resulted in time lost from work excluding fatalities, (i.e.

compensation is paid for the time lost), including those with

a lump sum payment. claims with compensation together

with lump sum payments are included as time lost claims.

Tribunal members’ manual – valuable business

information for doctors who are tribunal members,

produced by Q-coMp and placed in each tribunal room.

TRIM – stands for total Records and information

Management and is Q-coMp’s electronic data and records

management system.

Upheld – After hearing evidence, the Magistrate has

upheld the appeal and set aside or varied the Q-coMp

review decision.

Varied – insurer’s decision is varied by the Q-coMp

Review unit.

Withdrawn – Appeals withdrawn by the appellant prior

to court.

Work capacity – Work capacity is decided by the

worker’s treating medical practitioner, based upon the

worker’s medical status and is documented on the medical

certificate. total incapacity for work means that the worker

is unable to work in any capacity (not simply their pre-injury

duties) due to the severity of their injury or disease. partial

work capacity means that the worker is able to participate

in some work tasks that are within their functional capacity.

WorkCover Queensland – Manages workers’

compensation policies and claims for all employers

in Queensland that are not licensed as a self-insurer

(approximately 90% of workers’ claims are managed by

Workcover Queensland).

Worker – An individual employed under a contract of

service, section 11, the Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003. schedule 2 details those people

specifically included or specifically excluded from being

considered a “worker”.


103

Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003

(the Act) – Refers to the most recent version of the

legislation governing workers’ compensation in Queensland.

it is accompanied by the Workers’ compensation and

Rehabilitation Regulation 2003 which provides additional

clarification on specific matters.

Workers’ compensation insurer – Refers to Workcover

Queensland or a self-insurer. A self-insured employer is

licensed by Q-coMp to take on all liabilities for any work-

related injuries and diseases.

Worker’s file – employers must keep a confidential file for

a worker undertaking rehabilitation. the file must contain

copies of all relevant documentation, correspondence

and accounts (Workers’ compensation and Rehabilitation

Regulation 2003). the file should be separate from

all other company files and appropriately stored to

maintain confidentiality.

Worker’s obligation for rehabilitation – the Act

specifies that unless the worker has a reasonable excuse,

they must satisfactorily participate in rehabilitation as soon

as practicable after the injury is sustained and for the period

for which the worker is entitled to compensation. penalties

can be imposed on employers or workers who do not meet

their obligations.

Workplace – A workplace is a place where work is, is to be,

or is likely to be, performed by a worker or employer and is

a place that is for the time being occupied by the employer

or under the control or direction of the worker’s employer;

or where the worker is under the control or direction of the

worker’s employer (schedule 6, Workers’ Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003).

Workplace rehabilitation – “A system of rehabilitation

accredited by the Authority [Q-COMP] that is initiated

or managed by an employer”, section 43, the Workers’

Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003. the purpose

of workplace rehabilitation is to ensure the worker’s earliest

possible return to work or if not possible, to maximise the

worker’s independent functioning. Workplace rehabilitation

focuses on returning the worker to safe, suitable work at

the earliest possible time, ensuring valuable work skills are

not lost, and minimising the human and financial costs of

work injury.

Workplace rehabilitation accreditation – Gaining

accreditation formalises the process for rehabilitation in the

workplace. this requires:

a workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures •

approved by Q-coMp

a registered rehabilitation and return to work coordinator •

in Queensland who is an employee or contracted to

provide this service.

Workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures –

Formal documentation accredited by Q-coMp of an

employer’s systems and processes for rehabilitation in the

workplace, including:

the actions to be taken from the time of injury through •

to a full return to work

the roles and responsibilities of the Rehabilitation and •

Return to Work coordinator, the injured worker, line

managers, supervisors and co-workers.

under Queensland legislation, an employer must have

workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures and employ

a Rehabilitation and Return to Work coordinator under a

contract (regardless of whether the contract is a contract

of service) if:

the employer employs workers at a workplace in a high a.

risk industry - the wages of the employer in Queensland


$1.63 million (this threshold wages amount is indexed

annually); or

otherwise - the wages of the employer in Queensland b.


$5.577 million.

these policies and procedures require review every

three years.

Work related impairment (WRI) – the worker’s

entitlement to lump sum compensation expressed as a

percentage of the maximum statutory compensation

(section 39, Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation

Act 2003).


104

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 indeX

Administrative review 22, 43

Allied health fees 20

AMA Guides 26, 29

American Medical Association Guides to the

evaluation of permanent impairment 26, 29

Appeals lodged 1, 25

Appeals process 25, 71

Applications for review 1, 24

Assessment of the Queensland workers’

compensation scheme 11

Audit

- committee 4, 13, 53

- internal 54

- external 44, 51

Barrister panel 24, 25

Better practice in return to work guide 32, 33

Biographies–Board 46

Biographies–Q-coMp Management Group 48

Board

– Attendance at Board/committee Meetings 53

– Audit committee 4, 13, 53, 54

– Biographies 46

– Board meetings 51

– chairman 12, 46

– charter 51

– code of conduct 25, 41, 53, 57

– Role 50, 51, 52

Board meetings 51

Business planning 59

chairman–Q-coMp Board 12, 46

chairs–Medical Assessment tribunals 28

charter of social and Fiscal Responsibility 59

comparative performance Monitoring (cpM) 25

complaints 56, 57

comprehend 15, 18, 60

cpM–comparative performance Monitoring 25

customer service champions 17, 21

data quality, insurers 31

department of employment and industrial Relations 5

dispute resolution mechanisms 24

document control 61

e-learning program–comprehend 15, 18, 60

eldp 59

employer of choice 36

emerging leaders development program (eldp) 59

ethical standards 57

executive coaching 38

expenses–Q-coMp 62-66

Finity consulting 10

IndexFinity report 10

Fraud 61

Freedom of information (Foi) 61

Funding 2

Grants 64

Harassment 41

Health and safety 39, 90

industrial court 23, 24, 43

industrial Magistrate 22, 93

industrial Relations commission 23

insurer performance management

program (ipMp) 20

insurer risk profile 20

insurer self-assessment 20

internal audit 54

ipMp 20

licences–self-insurer 91

Magistrates court 22, 93

MAt chairs 28

MAt process 93

Medical assessment tribunals (MAt) 26

Mission 3

natural justice 23, 27

operating expenses–Q-coMp 62-66

operating result–Q-coMp 62-66

organisational structure 4

performance measures–Q-coMp 95

performance measures–scheme 94

privacy of information 60, 61

procedural fairness 23

profile–workforce 39

public sector ethics 57

QAs–Queensland Ambulance service–grant 20, 31

Q-coMp organisational structure 4

Q-coMp’s role 2

Qdos 37

QiRc 23

Queensland Ambulance service–grant 20, 31

Queensland industrial Relations commission 23

Queensland Workers’ compensation self-insurers’

Association (QWcsiA) 19

QWcdec 43

QWcsiA 19

Records management–tRiM 39, 45, 57

Release of documents 61

Research 17

Return to work assist 15, 34

Revenue–Q-coMp 62-66

Right of appearance 23

105q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 indeX

Risk Management 52

Role–Q-coMp 2

RRtWc 33, 35

scheme model 5

scheme performance measures 94

scheme stability indicators 30, 31

scheme structure 5, 51

secondments–structured 15, 36, 38

self-assessment–Board 13, 52

self-assessment–insurers 20

self-insurance licensing 91

self-insurers–list as at 30 June 92

statement of Affairs 61

strategic plan/planning 60

tribunal process 93

tribunals–chairs 28

tribunal secretariat 27

tribunals–timeframes 28

tRiM–records management 39, 45, 57

Values 3

Vision 3

Wellness program 39

Whistle Blowers’ protection Act 1994 61

Workcover Queensland 4, 5

Workflow management 14, 24, 28, 44

Workforce profile 39

Workplace health and safety-

Q-coMp employees 39, 90

Workplace rehabilitation 91

106

q-comp | AnnuAl RepoRt 07/08 indeX to FiGuRes

Figure 20 How Q-coMp delivers service to

our external and internal customers

55

Figure 21 complaint issues received by month

06/07 and 07/08

57

Figure 22 Achievement planning process 58

Figure 23 Q-coMp business planning cycle 59

Figure 24 Requests for injury profiles 61

Figure 25 Foi applications 61

Figure 26 Relationship between the four main

financial statements

62

Figure 27 operating result (five-year

comparison)

63

Figure 28 Revenue composition 63

Figure 29 expenses composition 63

Figure 30 scheme expenses 63

Figure 31 Q-coMp expenses composition 64

Figure 32 Ratios 66

Figure 33 trends 66

Figure 34 Q-coMp workplace health and

safety statistics

90

Figure 35 Workplace rehabilitation 91

Figure 36 self-insurer licences 91

Figure 37 list of workers’ compensation

insurers (Workcover Queensland

and self-insurers)

as at 30 June 08

92

Figure 38 insurer claims decision review and

appeals process

93

Figure 39 MAt process 93

Figure 01 Financial summary 1

Figure 02 self-insurers liability 1

Figure 03 Financial summary 1

Figure 04 Q-coMp 1

Figure 05 Q-coMp organisational structure 4

Figure 06 claim rates (per 100 employees

covered by the scheme) and

intimations

5

Figure 07 the Queensland workers’

compensation scheme

5

Figure 08 Modelled total benefits by state 11

Figure 09 proportion of claims with a dispute 11

Figure 10 insurer performance management

program framework

21

Figure 11 percentage of disputes

resolved within selected time

periods (cumulative)

25

Figure 12 tribunal chairs 28

Figure 13 time from tribunal referral

to hearing

28

Figure 14 Average number of cases heard

per tribunal

29

Figure 15 scheme stability indicators template 31

Figure 16 Return to work status of finalised

time lost claims 06/07 and 07/08

33

Figure 17 Qdos 37

Figure 18 Q-coMp workforce profile as at

30 June

40

Figure 19 Attendance at board/

committee meetings

53

Index to figures


07/08 ANNUAL REPORT

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