The state government’s icare scheme has known about an underpayment scandal since February but has tried to keep it quiet.
The Perrottet icare experiment is emerging as a costly failure that threatens widespread harm to voters in the lead-up to the state election in March.
A confidential note by NSW Treasury has warned that premiums for businesses would need to be 33 per cent higher in 2025 than they were in 2021 to cover a huge shortfall.
The scandal-ridden state insurer replaced controversial executive bonuses with a fixed increase for 116 top staff.
The workplace regulator,SafeWork NSW,faces allegations that it failed to protect workers from serious injuries and death and its inspectors were subjected to political interference.
The latest cash injection takes overall bailout payments it has received to almost $4 billion.
Icare has contacted affected workers to apologise after information about their claims was shared due to “human error.”
The Perrottet government has defended bonus payments for icare executives after revelations millions were handed out while injured workers were underpaid.
State insurer icare for six years knowingly underpaid NSW workers who had deadly dust diseases and faces a total claims liability of more than $93 million.
More than 326,000 NSW businesses are facing a 26 per cent rise in workers’ compensation insurance premiums over the next six years as a result of poor claims management continuing to plague state insurer icare.
State insurer icare has hired 18 executives who are entitled to $1.2m but a company spokesman says bonuses have not been paid in the past two years.