Minister Barr: New Motor Accident Injuries Scheme to deliver fairer, faster and more comprehensive support
- Written by ACT Government
Released 28/01/2020
Canberrans will receive fairer, faster and more comprehensive support if they are injured in a motor vehicle accident through the ACT’s new Motor Accident Injuries Scheme.
Motorists will save through reduced premiums. Premiums set by the private sector insurers have been as high as $644 for the average passenger vehicle in today’s dollars. With the new Motor Accident Injuries Scheme, the average passenger vehicle premiums will be $458.
Since the ACT Government began reforming the Compulsory Third-party Insurance Scheme to allow competition in 2013 premiums have been steadily falling for ACT motorists. With the introduction of the new scheme, premiums will be on average $60 less than what they were on 1 February 2019.
Under the new scheme, EVERYONE who is injured in a motor vehicle accident from 1 February will be entitled to receive treatment, care and lost income benefits up to five years, no matter who was at fault.
The new scheme will also provide quicker access to benefits, allowing recovery to get underway as soon as possible and ongoing support for those who need it most. People who are more seriously injured will continue to be able to make a claim for further compensation through common law.
The ‘community rated’ scheme will see motorists in each vehicle class pay the same premium regardless of their individual circumstances and risk of being involved in an accident. ‘Community rated' schemes provide equality and affordability and reduce the cost of premiums for younger and older drivers.
The new scheme comes into effect from this Saturday (1 February) and replaces the existing Compulsory Third-party Insurance Scheme. The old Compulsory Third-party Insurance Scheme will continue to apply to people injured in a motor vehicle accident before 1 February 2020.
More information on the Motor Accident Injuries Scheme is available at act.gov.au/maic.
- Statement ends -
Section: Andrew Barr, MLA | Media Releases
