Edition No.68

This edition was issued on 26 July 2024

Welcome

In this edition I’m delighted to announce that the Attorney General, the Hon. Michael Daley MP, has made six member appointments to the Personal Injury Commission, enhancing our capability and uplifting the roles of some of our current decision makers. These are outlined below, and I congratulate each of our appointees.

I am also pleased to report that compliance with Procedural Direction PIC 6 has been high, with only a small number of disputes not proceeding due to insufficient evidence.

I will be in touch with another edition of the Personal Injury Commission News soon.

Regards, 

Judge Gerard Phillips
President

Personal Injury Commission member appointments

Six member appointments will boost the Commission’s decision-making capacity across both divisions, while also uplifting the roles of some of our current decision makers who will be able to hit the ground running with their outstanding skills and experience. They include:

Two full-time general member appointments:

  • The Hon. Lea Drake, a current sessional member, who will be appointed to the Workers Compensation Division
  • Ms Bianca Montgomery-Hribar, who will be appointed to the Motor Accidents Division.
Three dual sessional member appointments:
  • Mr Philip Carr, currently a mediator with the Commission
  • Ms Sophie Jones, currently a workers compensation sessional member
  • Mr Jeremy Lum, currently a principal lawyer with the Commission.
One dual senior member appointment:
  • Mr Brett Williams, currently a senior motor accidents member.
These appointments will greatly assist with addressing the Commission’s increased workload, particularly in the Workers Compensation Division, while the dual capability of most of these roles will enhance our ability to respond to future workload shifts.

The appointments will commence on 1 August, except for Ms Montgomery-Hribar who will commence on 7 October.

Member Drake will take a leave of absence following her appointment as Acting Commissioner of the NSW Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission to lead the inquiry into Greyhound Racing NSW. This reflects her exceptional skills and experience, and we wish her well in that role.

Procedural Direction PIC 6

Compliance with the requirements of both section 7.20(3) of the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 and cl 15 of Procedural Direction PIC 6 has been high, with only a small number of motor accidents permanent impairment disputes not progressing due to insufficient evidence.

As reported in previous editions of the Personal Injury Commission News, from 1 July the Commission is only progressing permanent impairment disputes where sufficient evidence is provided in support of the degree of permanent impairment asserted by the party.

Disputes which have not progressed since 1 July 2024 include matters where both a physical dispute and a psychiatric dispute were lodged, but only one dispute has been accepted.

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