Kieran Fraser sang his heart out in the TV show 'The Voice' last year. What the millions of viewers of the popular singing contest didn't know was that he secretly hoped success in the TV show might earn him enough to support his wife who had been badly injured in a car accident several years earlier.
Sadly he was eliminated in the battle rounds. Now Kieran is president of the Injured Persons Association, a group of hundreds victims of vehicle accidents fighting changes to the Compulsory Third Party insurance scheme being brought in by the NSW government. You can view their website at www.injuredpersons.org.au.
Kieran and another accident victim went to parliament last week appealing to crossbench MPs in the NSW Legislative Council to block legislation due to be introduced this week by Finance Minister Greg Pearce.
"I thought facing millions of viewers in a singing competition was tough, but trying to get politicians to do the right thing by injured people is a lot tougher," Kieran Fraser said.
Under the changes, his wife's support would have been cut off after just five years and she wouldn't have received the vital surgery she needed to repair damage to her spine in the accident.
More than 580 members of the Injured Persons Association have urged crossbench MPs to force changes as the legislation takes away the rights of people injured in motor vehicle accidents held for decades under the current Compulsory Third Party (green slip) scheme.
The Motor Accident Injuries Amendment Bill 2013 has been passed in the Legislative Assembly and if passed in the Upper House will become operational next year.
"The changes will be devastating for people who are injured in a motor vehicle accident," Kieran said.
"Previously people who couldn't continue working after a vehicle accident could get compensation for lost future earnings that would help support them and their families.
"But now, for 90 per cent of accident victims, that payment will be far less and will stop entirely after just five years. It will force people to sell their homes or go begging to Centrelink.
"Those rights have been slashed to give the negligent driver who causes an accident the same rights and access to compensation as their victims - and that's not fair."
Kieran said the government was doing all this just so motorists will save $50 on their annual green slip payments.
"You can bet that saving won't last as all the negligent drivers who cause accidents start claiming compensation."
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