WorkCover self insurers in Victoria
There are 34 self-insurers in the Victorian WorkCover scheme.
You will see from the list below that the companies in the self-insurance part of the scheme are large (or very large) employers.
Applying to become a self-insurer is an expensive and rigorous process.
The scheme allows for large employers to manage their own workers’ compensation claims, as well as bear the expense.
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The relevant criteria to become a self-insurer includes:
The financial strength and viability of the company, the company resources available to administer claims, the company’s incidence of injuries and claims costs, the company’s working conditions and compliance with relevant work safety legislation.
An employer will need to reapply every 3-6 years for accreditation from WorkCover.
The employers in the scheme are as follows:
- Alcoa of Australia Limited
- Amcor Plc
- BHP Group Limited
- BP Australia Group Pty Ltd
- BlueScope Steel Limited
- Brambles Limited
- Brickworks Ltd
- CSR Limited
- Carter Holt Harvey Building Products Pty Limited
- Coles Group Limited
- Crown Resorts Limited
- ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd
- Food Investments Pty Limited
- Hanson Australia (Holdings) Proprietary Limited
- Healius Limited (formerly Primary Health Care Limited)
- Ingham Group Limited
- Liberty Holdings Australia Ltd
- Mars Wrigley Australia Holdings Pty Ltd
- Melbourne Water Corporation
- Mondelez Australia Holdings Pty Limited
- Myer Holdings Limited
- Paper Australia Pty Ltd
- Philip Morris (Australia) Limited
- Qantas Airways Limited
- Robert Bosch (Australia) Proprietary Limited
- Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) Limited
- TLC Aged Care Pty Limited
- Toll Holdings Limited
- Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Limited
- University of Melbourne
- Viva Energy Group Limited
- Wesfarmers Limited
- Westpac Banking Corporation
- Woolworths Group Limited
What difference can it make to my claim?
Firstly, to be clear: the law is the same. There’s no separate law or process because you have a self-insurer.
Some manage their insurance in-house, which means your contact point is someone within your employer’s company, that works in the WorkCover insurance area.
Other self-insurers will still use the “Authorised Agents” that WorkCover uses for the main insurance scheme to manage their claims – that’s Allianz Australia Workers’ Compensation (Victoria) Limited, EML VIC Pty Ltd, Gallagher Bassett Services Workers Compensation Vic Pty Ltd and Xchanging (also referred to as DXC).
If an Authorised Agent is engaged, it’s likely that the employer will be more involved in the decision-making process than for non-self-insured employer.
Significantly, when it comes to your benefits through the WorkCover laws there can be a difference in the way a self-insurer engages with you in relation to a dispute or lump sum claim, compared to the Authorised Agents and WorkCover appointment lawyers.
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When it comes to self-insurers, they have greater flexibility to resolve matters and deal with claims in a more creative way than an Authorised Agent can.
This can sometimes result in early resolution of disputes or early settlement of common law matters.
This is all done within the law and can be an appropriate option in some cases.
Why would an employer become a self-insurer?
Control
The employer has greater control and scrutiny over claims and decisions if they manage their own insurance. They can also add extra steps, for example, one self-insurer requires an additional claim document to be completed, which asks for more information than the standard WorkCover claim form.
Cost
If an employer uses WorkCover, they pay WorkCover premiums to cover the cost of the insurance, just like paying insurance on a house or a car. When a company is a self-insurer, they don’t have to pay any premiums or claims management fees if they manage it house. Instead, they pay out the actual value of the medical and like expenses, weekly payments, impairment claims and common law claims themselves.
