| Abstract: | Four years after its inception, Workcare, the Victorian Government's new workers' compensation scheme, has failed to live up to its promise. Recent reforms have concentrated on identifying groups responsible for the ‘rorts’ and cost ‘blowouts’ of the scheme. It is argued that although this sort of intervention might make economic sense, it continues a tradition of scapegoating individual workers rather than trying to analyse the complex workings of such schemes. Several of the assumptions underlying Workcare (and similar systems) are discussed in order to demonstrate the potential for failure in any benefits delivery system based on status rather than need. |
