Two Goulburn Valley hospitals have seen their WorkCover premiums increase this past financial year.
Goulburn Valley Health paid more than $3.5 million in WorkCover premiums, while Kyabram District Health Service paid $550,000 in the 2023-24 financial year.
That was an increase of $672,000 or 23 per cent for GV Health, and an increase of $150,000 or 38 per cent for KDHS.
The numbers were revealed in November as part of an analysis of health service reports in parliament, which showed that Victorian hospitals paid $252,484,034 in WorkCover premiums for the 2023-24 financial year, an $85 million or 51.4 per cent increase from the previous financial year.
“The Allan Labor Government’s mismanagement of WorkCover means Victorian health services pay higher premiums and less towards the essential services they should be providing,” state Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said.
Shadow minister for WorkCover and TAC Cindy McLeish said the scheme had been mismanaged by the Victorian Government.
“Hospitals have been under enormous pressure having to find the additional money on top of increased costs, the threat of amalgamations, budget cuts and now have had another blow to their finances, all of which will have a worsening impact on patient care,” she said.
During the 2023-24 financial year, the WorkCover average premium rate was 1.8 per cent, up from the 2022-23 rate of 1.27 per cent.
Those changes came through as part of the Victorian Government’s new WorkCover scheme, which overhauled the previous WorkCover system to bring it in line with the other states and territories.
The rate of 1.8 per cent has not changed for this financial year.