Edition 9 - February 2021

Welcome

Welcome to the latest edition of Towards the PIC.

This edition announces the Personal Injury Commission Procedural Directions, Policies and Delegations, following on from my communication of the Personal Injury Commission Rules in Towards the PIC earlier this week.

I’m committed to providing you with the information you need, in real-time, to ensure you have a sound understanding of how the Commission will operate from commencement on 1 March. I will also make mention of the Ceremonial Sitting that will be held to mark the opening of the Commission.

I will provide further updates for you in the coming weeks, as we head toward opening on 1 March.

Sincerely

Judge Gerard Phillips

New Personal Injury Commission Procedural Directions, Policies and Delegations Finalised and Published

I’m pleased to report that I have now finalised the Commission’s Procedural Directions, Policies and Delegations, rounding out the set of legal instruments required to operate as the PIC from 1 March. All will be published to the Commission website on 1 March, however I have provided links to them below so that you can access and view them ahead of that date.

Procedural Directions

As President of the Personal Injury Commission, I have made a number of Procedural Directions for commencement of the Commission on 1 March. These will complement the Personal Injury Commission Act 2020 (the Act), the related Regulations, and the Commission Rules. They provide a detailed explanation of the Commission’s procedures.

Policies

I have confirmed the set of Policies that set standards of practice for the Commission and the people who use its services.

Delegations

The Act contains broad powers of delegation under section 18​. As President, I have delegated some functions to each Division Head and Principal Registrar, with powers of sub-delegation​. The Instruments of Delegation indicate how functions under the Act, Commission and scheme Regulations, and Rules will be delegated from 1 March 2021.

To ensure you have the opportunity to review and understand the Rules, Procedural Directions Policies and Delegations ahead of commencement, you can access them now via the ‘Towards the PIC’ section of the Workers Compensation Commission website here.

You can also access them individually via these links:

PIC Rules

PIC Procedural Directions

PIC Policies

PIC Delegations

Please take the time to familiarise yourself with all of this information, as relevant to your needs, to ensure you have a thorough understanding of how the Commission will operate from 1 March.

Ceremonial Sitting

To mark commencement of the Personal Injury Commission, I will preside over a Ceremonial Sitting of the Commission at the District Court on Monday 1 March at 9.30am. The Sitting will include addresses from the NSW Attorney General, the Minister for Customer Service and the Presidents of the NSW Bar Association and The Law Society of NSW. I’m pleased to be able to celebrate the opening of the Commission in this way.

For Covid safety reasons, the event is invitation only, however I will live stream the Ceremonial Sitting on the day for anyone interested in viewing. I will provide the live stream details closer to the date. A recording of the Sitting will also be available to view on the Commission website from 1 March.

Have a question about the PIC? 

If you have a question you would like to ask about the PIC, please email us at PICstakeholder@wcc.nsw.gov.au

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