Minister Barr: Community to help improve Compulsory Third Party insurance to better protect Canberrans
- Written by ACT Government
Released 22/08/2017
The ACT Government’s first citizens’ jury will explore how the ACT’s Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance scheme can be improved.
Many Canberrans who are in an accident are not covered by CTP and even if you are covered it can take two years or more to get your full payout, but we still pay some of the highest premiums in the country. The Government believes our CTP scheme should be improved to better protect Canberrans.
Because CTP insurance affects all of Canberra’s 285,000 drivers and is compulsory, the Government wants to involve the community in exploring how the scheme can be improved. A citizens’ jury is an ideal model to work through a complex issue like CTP, so we’re taking the opportunity to trial this ‘deliberative democracy’ process for the first time.
The ACT’s current CTP scheme does not cover everyone injured in a motor vehicle accident, leaving too many Canberrans exposed to big medical bills and other costs. For example, if you hit a kangaroo you cannot claim under the CTP scheme for your injuries because no-one was at fault.
It can also take two years or longer to negotiate and receive a full payout after an accident, preventing Canberrans getting the treatment and care they need right away.
Despite these gaps, ACT drivers pay some of the most expensive premiums in the country.
We will set up a representative jury of 50 Canberrans who will come together to understand the scheme and the trade-offs involved. They will be advised by experts and hear the views of industry stakeholders and the wider community.
We understand the pressure on household budgets so one of the most important instructions to the jury will be that premiums cannot go up as a result of any package of improvements.
The jury’s first task will be to identify the priorities for a CTP scheme that best balances the interests of all road users. The jury’s priorities will then be given to a Stakeholder Reference Group made up of legal representatives, healthcare providers, consumers and ACT Government officials. The reference group will develop a number of workable models for consideration. The jury will then come together again and assess which of the models best meets those priorities.
The ACT Government is committed to pursuing the model the jury prefers, on the basis that it meets the community’s priorities.
This jury process is one of the ways we are delivering on our 2016 election commitment to improve the way the Government engages with our community.
Invitations to participate in the citizens’ jury will be mailed out in early September. Members of the Canberra community and stakeholders can also provide feedback on CTP by visiting: www.yoursay.act.gov.au/ctp.
The Parliamentary Agreement between Labor and the Greens includes the use of deliberative democracy.
- Statement ends -
Section: Andrew Barr, MLA | Media Releases
