Legislation has passed for the establishment of a one-stop shop Personal Injury Commission (PIC) in NSW to manage dispute resolution for road and workplace injuries.

Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello says the new body will merge the dispute resolution systems of the workers compensation and CTP insurance schemes into a single, independent tribunal from next March.

The Commission will have two specialist divisions, one to deal with workers compensation and the other motor accidents, and an independent judicial head.

“The new single tribunal will help thousands of customers resolve their disputes each year,” Mr Dominello said.

He said the new body, which means people will be able to take their complaints to an independent tribunal rather than government bureaucrats, will streamline dispute resolution and put consumers at the centre of the process.

“The purpose of the Commission is to simplify the dispute resolution process and deal with disputes justly, quickly, and as cost efficiently as possible.”

Some 7,000 applications were lodged in the Workers Compensation Commission and around 10,000 CTP applications were also lodged in 2019.

The legislation transfers the functions of the Workers Compensation Commission (WCC) and the State Insurance Regulatory Authority’s (SIRA), Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), the Motor Accidents Claims Assessment and Resolution Service (CARS), and the Motor Accidents Medical Assessment Service (MAS) to the PIC.

The reforms will not change benefits and entitlements in the original workers compensation and CTP schemes, ensuring minimal impact to insurance premiums, Mr Dominello said.

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