Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We return this Monday morning to the plight of ACC.
So we told you Friday, they're on the whole to
the tune of billions. The annual deficits one point five
billion total now thirteen point eight billion. So what do
you do about that? Megan Main's the ACC chief executive
and as with as Megan morning, good morning, mate. Is
the one point five billion it for annual deficits or
we got more where that came from?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
You think, yeah, Mike, Look, we're working really hard, you know,
to turn that performance around. And you know, last year
I spoke to you about a seven point two billion
dollar deficit, so clearly you know things are improving, but
it's a you know, it's a big ship to turn around,
and we've got a lot of work to do to
(00:39):
make sure, simply put, that you know that we're getting
people rehabilitated faster, that we're providing the right support to people,
and that we're not funding the things that aren't covered
by ACC. So they all make a difference.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Is there a lot of that? What's the real issue?
Is is it the levies that need to rise, is
it the return on investments you're not getting, or is
it just a lot of people lining up for a
lot of expensive treatment.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Also, look at the mix of things, Mike, as you've
just called out, you know, our investment fund is performing
really well this year. We didn't have any of any
big court decisions that essentially expanded the boundary of what
we provide. But also, you know, we've been really focused
on improving rehabilitation, getting back to those basics, doing the
(01:28):
things in our control, but also working with providers to
make sure that we're not under or over servicing clients,
working with employers to keep people connected to work so
they get back to work sooner. It's there isn't one
silver bullet, it's every interaction every day by all of
(01:48):
our frontline client facing people.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
How much of the costs is simply cost plus accounting
people sending you a bigger bill.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Oh look, Mike, you know we work really closely with
our to get the best value for money. You know,
the big driver is demand. You know, the costs have
gone up by more than inflation and more than population growth,
and so we're really focused, as I say, on just
getting the right things to the right people at the
(02:18):
right time.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
You're going to have to get the mental stuff, the
mental health stuff off your books and if you do,
does that actually change anything?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah? You know, our job is to implement and operationalize
the legislation, and so that's what we do. We've been
working all year to get ready to implement the operational
changes that came from that court decision last year. You know,
it's a big scheme. It's eight billion dollars a year
(02:46):
that is across all sorts of types of claims.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Are you confident or not?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I'm confident. I feel like you know, it's a cliche,
back to basics, but it really is about getting back
to good case management, working differently with providers to make
sure we're getting the right level of support to people,
getting one to one case management to particularly people who
are off work, and getting weekly compensation to keep them
(03:15):
connected to work. We've got a lot more work to do,
but I know, you know, we've got a big team
who are working hard every day. They're committed to that,
and you know we're already seeing the improvements. The first
three months of this new financial year has seen even
more improvement and we've just got to stay that course.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
All right, Good to talk to you, appreciate it and
I wish you well Megan Mine, who's the ACC chief executive.
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