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Carers Need Protection Against Liability: Hall

Unpaid carers should be given the same level of protection against personal liability claims as that provided for volunteers, according to Gippsland MP Peter Hall.

By Peter Hall - 15th June 2005 - Back to News

The Nationals MP has raised the matter in State Parliament following a case where the Victorian WorkCover Authority took legal action against a couple at whose home a paid carer was bitten by a dog.

The Morwell couple care for their two disabled children and the paid carer, employed by a third party, was bitten when attending to provide assistance.

The WorkCover Authority started legal action against the couple seeking recompense for the WorkCover claim by the injured person, but has since dropped the action after a public outcry.

Mr Hall is now urging the Government to ensure families are exempt from litigation under WorkCover in a situation where a care worker employed and paid by a third party is injured in the family home.

In his question to Minister for WorkCover and the TAC, John Lenders, Mr Hall asked for "immediate action."

He also put to the Minister that, given the government passed legislation to protect volunteers working for agencies from personal liability claims against individuals, the same level of protection should be provided to give unpaid carers.

Outside Parliament, Mr Hall said: "Many unpaid carers, mostly the families of those requiring care, are effectively volunteers, and volunteers who often have a quite onerous task.

"At the very least the Government should ensure that the sort of stress that the Morwell couple was subjected to does not occur again for this family or others in a carer’s role.

"Carers do an outstanding job, often with minimal support. While this case was resolved eventually, there was still a substantial amount of pressure on the couple involved. The State Government is in a position to provide protection for carers and it should do so as soon as possible."

Mr Hall said he would continue to put pressure on the Government to act.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com