Monday Muses ~update~conversations~travel plans

As the saying goes nothing happens and then everything happens all at once. Just as well I run my own diary as others do tend to find it a tad confusing.

I have been on the move (so to speak) since the 15th April, first to Melbourne for a wedding, then to Adelaide for family catch up, then back to Melbourne for a most important meeting with ISCRR and other senior workers compensation people then back to Adelaide for International Day of Mourning and next week I am going back to Melbourne again for an interview with The Informer 

Meeting with ISCRR was one of the most important meetings I have had in a very long time. We discussed the journeys of the injured worker community and the missing links within the injured worker community. I answered questions about many aspects of day-to-day life that the injured worker community face with apprehension and with no societal support/understanding of what the challenges are truly like. Things such as not being able to gain access to top up income payments from CentreLink or facing preclusion period post exiting workers compensation. (side-note: it always amazes me the number of highly skilled providers within the workers compensation industry who simply do not know the members of the injured worker community cannot access support from CentreLink, or access support from their own income protection insurance) I spoke about how Craig’s Table is built on the Foundation provided by each and every legislation “return an injured worker to near as possible pre-injury health, then to themselves and then to work (or on to study or to start their own business) It was a comfortable and uncomfortable conversation but it was an honest conversation. All of it is clearly outlined and understandable within the preamble of what has been written by those who gathered together in the 1980’s in order to frame the various Australian workers compensation processes.

I was asked what was the one thing that could be should be needs to be done in order to shift the current iteration of workers compensation in order to enable the injured worker community. I answered that that was the easiest and most challenging thing to achieve. “Invite us in” every workers compensation authority in Australia should be required to have a member of the injured worker community on its Board, every workers compensation authority needs to have an Injured Worker Focus Group that reports directly to the CEO. I qualified it by saying these people need to come from the injured worker community, not from an external body to “represent” the injured worker community. The Injured Worker Focus Groups need the direct support from the office of the various CEO’s and they need the same level of authority and autonomy that was in place when we first formed in WorkCover SA.

(I would go one step further and say (as I did in my other meetings) that every workers compensation claims agent should also be required to Report to the various Injured Worker Focus Groups.) However; first things first, it needs to be understood that each of the State Territory and National legislation's allows for registered community providers to be a part of the wider system. 

In other words, to alter the outcomes for far too many members of the injured worker community we need to be at the discussion table, we need to be seen heard and listened to. As we discovered in South Australia when the discussions are open and honest massive progress is made.

Thank you to everyone who sent me the link for Insight -Hurt at Work. Dr Mary Wyatt was correct when she said that a National conversation is required around the way the injured worker community and the workers compensation process(es) engage. I agree that a National conversation is required, I also believe it is time that other interested but thus far not involved Parties were also included. As such I have today written a letter to Dr Wyatt outlining the need for such a National Summit and suggested the “other Parties” who need to be at the National Summit. All of the challenges that were outlined by the various members of the injured worker community as outlined are known challenges, each of them are very resolvable with the right conversations and the right tools in place to support and enable outcome focused exit. (As many of you will have heard me say every person who has sustained a workplace injury has both the right and the responsibility to return to the open workplace, this is not only the right thing to do, but it is the best outcome for the employers and for the workers compensation system(s) as well)

Last week was International Day of Mourning; I was able to walk among the Memorial Trees for the first time since Covid 19 arrived and shut down interstate travel. I sat with my brothers Memorial Tree and felt the peace and solace that comes simply from being there. Once more I picked some leaves to bring back with me and I sent some leaves to Craig’s parents as well. A small group gathered to hold in silence then release the Memorial balloons, tears well up and my heart shatters again as the 15 black balloons lifted towards the heavens. I felt the emptiness for each of the 15 South Australian families who lost a loved one as a direct result of a workplace incident last year. And I felt the comforting arm of my dear friend Heather. The interesting part of being within The Deceased Workers Memorial Forest is just how silent it becomes during the minutes silence, not even a bird call or a passing train can be heard. As always no one moved until well past the last of the Memorial Balloons vanishing from sight. Hopefully next year it will be possible once more to organise a larger gathering now that it appears that covid 19 is almost under containment.

So to next week and being fortunate enough to speak with The Informer team about just what Craig’s Table has to offer. Here I must thank Melody Horrill for her support and the introductions that Melody made possible. For me it is always pure joy to speak about the amazing and talented members of the injured worker community, to speak about what they are each able to do when they are supported and walked with, and to speak about Injured Worker Well-Being Week so that more people get to know just what is in place and what more can be asked for.  

Lastly this week starts the receiving of the various presentations for Injured Worker Well-Being Week. It is interesting to see the videos and know just how much time and effort has gone in for each of them. 

The hope is that the information that is being gathered together starts many more conversations and many more industry connections. As always Craig's Table is open to discussions of partnerships and sponsorship's.

Now it is time for dinner, tomorrow is another hectic day working with industry professionals in order to resolve a cross border workers compensation claim that fell off the rails.

Yours in service

Rosemary