Annual Report 2014-15

Introduction

The Motor Accident Insurance Commission reports to the State Parliament through the Treasurer and prepares an annual report, as required by the Motor Accident Insurance Act 1994and the Financial Accountability Act 2009.

Compliance checklist

The compliance checklist outlines the governance, performance, reporting and other specific requirements for agency annual reports.

Complete Annual Report

Complete 2014-15 Annual Report (PDF 1,130 K)

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If you have any enquiries regarding the annual report, please email maic@maic.qld.gov.au.

Disclaimer

The electronic versions of the Motor Accident Insurance Commission Annual Report 2013-14 provided on this site are for information purposes only and are not recognised as the official or authorised version. The official copy of the Annual Report, as tabled in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, can be accessed from the Queensland Parliament tabled papers website.

Annual Report 2014 - 2015

( pdf 1.10 Mb )

ISSN:1837-1450
The Queensland Government is committed to providing accessible services to Queenslanders fr om all culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. If you have difficulty in understanding the annual report, you can contact us on the CTP enquiries line 1800 CTP QLD (1800 287 753) and we will arrange an interpreter to effectively communicate the report to you.

Motor Accident Insurance Commission
GPO Box 1083, Brisbane Qld 4001
Phone: 1800 CTP QLD (1800 287 753)
Email: maic@maic.qld.gov.au

Nominal Defendant
GPO Box 2203, Brisbane Qld 4001
Phone: 07 3035 6321
Email: nd@maic.qld.gov.au

Visit https://maic.qld.gov.au/ to view this annual report.

© Motor Accident Insurance Commission 2015

License: This annual report is licensed by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 Australia license.

CC BY License Summary Statement: In essence, you are free to copy, communicate and adapt this annual report, as long as you attribute the work to the Motor Accident Insurance Commission. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en

Attribution: Content from this annual report should be attributed as: The Motor Accident Insurance Commission Annual Report 2014-15.

Letter of compliance

The Honourable Curtis Pitt MP

Treasurer, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Minister for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships
GPO Box 611
Brisbane Qld 4001

Dear Treasurer

I am pleased to present the Annual Report 2014-2015 and financial statements for
the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and the Nominal Defendant.

I certify that this Annual Report complies with:

  • the prescribed requirements of the Financial Accountability Act 2009, the
    Financial and Performance Management Standard 2009 and the Motor
    Accident Insurance Act 1994
    , and
  • the detailed requirements set out in the Annual report requirements for
    Queensland Government agencies
    .

A checklist outlining the annual reporting requirements can be accessed at
www.maic.qld.gov.au.

Yours sincerely

 

Neil Singleton
Insurance Commissioner

Last reviewed 14 October 2015

About MAIC

MAIC is responsible for regulating Queensland’s CTP insurance scheme and managing the Nominal Defendant.

Established under the MAI Act, MAIC has been located in Brisbane since it commenced operations on 1 September 1994.

Organisationally, MAIC and the Nominal Defendant are positioned within the Corporate Group of Queensland Treasury.

Vision

Ensuring financial protection that makes Queensland stronger, fairer and safer, through:

  • overseeing an affordable and efficient CTP scheme; and
  • actively engaging and consulting with stakeholders on scheme performance and improvement opportunities.

Purpose

MAIC is responsible for regulating and improving Queensland’s Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance scheme and managing the Motor Accident Insurance and Nominal Defendant funds.

Responsibilities

MAIC is responsible for:

  • ensuring people injured in road accidents receive fair compensation;
  • compensating people who are injured as a result of the negligent driving of an unidentified or uninsured motor vehicle through the Nominal Defendant;
  • ensuring Queensland motorists receive affordable premiums;
  • the regulation of insurers’ activity and compliance; and
  • meeting any claim costs of an insolvent insurer.

Functions

MAIC’s key functions involve:

  • the licensing and supervision of CTP insurers;
  • monitoring the operation of the scheme;
  • fixing the range within which each insurer’s premium must fall and recommending to Government the levies payable;
  • promoting research, education and the infrastructure to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes and facilitate rehabilitation of injured people;
  • developing and maintaining a claims register and statistical database for the purpose of providing management information; and
  • administering the Nominal Defendant Fund.

How MAIC contributes to the Queensland Government objectives for the community

MAIC contributes to building safe, caring and connected communities by investing in road safety initiatives to reduce the frequency of motor vehicle accidents and minimise their impact on the community.

MAIC is contributing to quality front line services by investing in targeted research and service delivery initiatives to improve health outcomes for people injured in motor vehicle crashes.

Strategic opportunities

MAIC has the opportunity to:

  • Harness and support broader technological or innovation changes in road safety, trauma injury management and claims management system processes;
  • Actively reduce the incidence and severity of road trauma; and
  • Continually look for ways to improve the Motor Accident insurance Commission and Nominal Defendant service delivery.

Strategic risks and challenges

Ongoing risks and challenges the Commission and the Nominal Defendant face include:

  • Keeping the CTP scheme under review to guard against unexpected adverse developments;
  • Maintaining prudential supervision of licenced insurers; and
  • Keeping CTP affordable while managing a competitive insurer premium filing model.

Last reviewed 15 October 2015

Queensland's CTP scheme

Queensland’s Compulsory Third Party (CTP) scheme is a common law, fault-based scheme currently underwritten by four licensed private insurers who accept applications for insurance and manage claims on behalf of their policyholders. The scheme has operated since 1936, overseeing the provision of insurance policies covering unlimited liability for personal injuries to motor vehicle owners, drivers, passengers and other persons injured in a motor vehicle crash to which the Motor Accident Insurance Act 1994 (the MAI Act) applies.

The Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) and the Nominal Defendant are statutory bodies established under the MAI Act to regulate and support the CTP scheme. MAIC regulates insurance premium costs by setting floor and ceiling premium bands for each vehicle class within which CTP insurers must set premiums. The Nominal Defendant compensates people who are injured as a result of the negligent driving of an unidentified or uninsured (no CTP insurance) motor vehicle. The Nominal Defendant has the extended role of meeting any claim costs of a licensed insurer who becomes insolvent.

An efficient system of CTP premium collection, through the motor vehicle registry of the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), minimises administration costs within the scheme.

Last reviewed 14 October 2015

Insurance Commissioner's Report

Queensland continues to be well served by a stable and affordable CTP scheme. Premiums remain amongst the most affordable in Australia and injured people have access to fair and timely compensation.

Profitability for the insurers who underwrite the scheme is strong.

The Nominal Defendant (‘ND’) team have delivered another year of excellent performance enabling the ND levy to reduce in 2015/16 – only the second time in the 54 year history of ‘the Nommo’ this has occurred.

MAIC is investing in a range of scheme improvement initiatives including the ongoing work with the QUT Information Systems School to explore opportunities to improve the overall claims process. Our focus on efficiency and innovation in the scheme equally applies to improving internal operating efficiencies within MAIC.

Over recent years, MAIC has evolved a light-touch approach to insurer supervision, maintaining an appropriate focus on prudential standards and meeting with insurers on a regular basis to benchmark performance. This approach remains under active review to ensure appropriate compliance standards are maintained.

Looking to the future – MAIC is exploring how the CTP scheme might operate in a future digital world. The advent of autonomous vehicles, intelligent transport systems, advances in medical treatment and the efficiencies to be gained through technology in service delivery are future possibilities which will be explored to help understand how we can best improve the CTP scheme for the benefit of all road users over coming decades.

MAIC continues to actively support DTMR and QPS as the lead government agencies in reducing the incidence of road trauma in Queensland. Our goal is to reduce the incidence of road trauma by at least 30 percent by 2020. Achieving this goal will result in at least 60,000 fewer Queenslanders being injured on Queensland roads over the course of the decade.

I thank the MAIC Advisory Committee for their ongoing support and counsel. In addition to the committee members Bernard Rowley and Rowan Ward, I have been fortunate to also be able to call upon advice from Henry Smerdon and Peter Roche (ex-CEO MAIB Tasmania) during the course of the year. I also express my appreciation and thanks to the entire team at MAIC and the ND for their continued commitment to delivering and improving the CTP scheme for all Queensland motorists and road users.

Finally, I want to say a special thank you to Professor Barry Watson whose leadership over the past 19 years has further enhanced the local and international reputation of CARRS-Q as a road safety research centre of excellence. In January 2015, Barry was appointed CEO of the Red Cross Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) based in Geneva Switzerland where his road safety expertise is having global effect. Barry’s passion and expertise in advancing road safety initiatives and policy advice has been of direct benefit to Queensland road safety and the Queensland CTP scheme.

We are well placed to keep improving and developing the Scheme over future years to ensure it best meets the needs of all Queenslanders.

Neil Singleton
Insurance Commissioner

Last reviewed 14 October 2015

Year in Review

year-in-review

Report Card

Highlights Performance indicators Notes Target Outcome
ObjectiveProvide a viable and equitable personal injury motor accident insurance scheme.

Delivering cost reductions through process improvements

Premium bands and levies set within legislated time-frames.

100% 100%

Realised cost savings through the ND legal panel review

Premium bands are set at a level to ensure scheme viability.

100% 100%

Highest filed CTP premium for Class 1 vehicles (sedans and wagons) as a percentage of average weekly earnings.

< 45% < 45%
Objective Continually improve the performance of the operation of the Nominal Defendant.
  • The ND levy per policy for Class 1 reduced from $11.50 in 2014-15 to $11.00 in 2015-16.
  • Realised the benefits of the Nominal Defendant claims management system
  • Finalised 291 claims (including three FAI claims)
    Recovered $167,487
  • Earned $49,758,904 in investment income on ND fund
  • Received $51,830,609 from HIH Liquidators

The percentage of the Nominal Defendant claims finalised compared to the number outstanding at the start of the financial year.

1

50% 71.1%

Percentage of Nominal Defendant claims settled within two years of compliance with the Motor Accident Insurance Act 1994.

2

50% 67.8%

Percentage of Nominal Defendant claims paid within 60 days of the settlement date.

95% 96.4%

Investment strategies align with the anticipated claims runoff.

100% 100%
ObjectiveProvide a corporate governance model that facilitates MAIC’s vision and meets the State’s financial and performance requirements.
  • External provider engaged to prepare capabilities and succession planning framework to optimise staff capabilities

Financial requirements outlined in the Financial Accountability Act 2009 are met.

100% 100%

Planning and reporting requirements outlined in the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2009 are met.

100% 100%

Staff capabilities align with strategic plan.

100% 100%
  1. Favourable variance is due to higher than anticipated number of claims being finalised.
  2. Claims can take two to three years to settle, consequently it is difficult to estimate the number of claims that will be finalised in any given period.

Leading the Motor Accident Insurance Commission

Reporting to the State Parliament through the Treasurer, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Insurance Commissioner Neil Singleton sets the direction for MAIC and the Nominal Defendant.  The Insurance Commissioner is supported by Director Corporate Governance Lina Lee, Director Business Solutions Sarah Sawyer and Director Claims Bill Dwyer – collectively they are the leadership team.

The leadership team’s role is to drive MAIC and the Nominal Defendant’s performance, ensuring the organisation meets the objectives and major activities set out in the strategic plan. The leadership team is also responsible for determining operational policy and strategies to identify and manage key areas of risk.

The below roles comprised our leadership team, as at 30 June 2015.

B. Business (Insurance), MBA

Appointed as Insurance Commissioner in December 2010. Prior to this appointment Neil acquired over 30 years insurance experience across a broad range of management and executive positions. Neil’s responsibilities include providing strong strategic leadership to ensure a viable, affordable and equitable CTP scheme in Queensland.

B.Com, CA

Appointed to MAIC in 2006, Lina’s responsibilities include strategic and business planning, financial management, office management, organisational reporting, business support and ensuring MAIC meets statutory and government reporting obligations. Lina has an accountancy and auditing background covering the chartered profession, commerce, industry, and more recently the public sector.

GAICD

Appointed to MAIC in June 2014. Prior to this appointment Sarah has acquired 14 years of experience working within QTT, responsible for a range of services including information technology, data management, urban development research and office management.  Sarah’s responsibilities include providing strategic and operational direction for the Systems and Development, Business Intelligence and Continuous Improvement areas of IC.

Appointed to MAIC in April 2014, Bill’s responsibilities include the efficient and effective management of the claims activities of the Nominal Defendant.  Bill has a legal background as well as a further 12 years in the insurance industry working for a national claims management service provider. Bill is current undertaking the Public Sector Management Program, a graduate certificate course administered by the QUT Business School.

Our People

MAIC works in partnership with Queensland Treasury to invest in our people to create the right workplace with the right skills, culture and behaviour. As part of this partnership, MAIC has adopted QT’s frameworks for capability development, workforce planning, employee performance management, leadership and industrial and employee relations. QT provides MAIC with strategic advice and support on issues such as recruitment, attraction, retention, induction, performance management, talent management, knowledge transfer and recognition.

In addition to providing MAIC with human resource support services, QT’s Human Resources branch also assists MAIC with meeting its obligations under the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994. MAIC staff access QT’s suite of online training modules specific to public sector ethics and the Queensland Government Code of Conduct. The online training package is rolled out to all new MAIC staff and all staff are required to complete the training annually.

In 2014-15, MAIC developed and piloted a capability and succession planning framework aimed at contextualising Queensland Treasury’s Great People Capability System. The framework provides the context and process for developing and maintaining the skills that produce the talent required by MAIC to implement its business direction for now and into the future. The framework will assist MAIC to build a workforce that is adaptable, engaged and receptive in an ever changing environment. In 2015-16, MAIC will continue to roll-out and improve on the framework.

In May, all staff were encouraged to have their say in the workforce employee survey. Through the survey, staff were able to share their perceptions of their work, manager, team, workplace, and job satisfaction. As a result of the positive changes observed as a result of the 2013-14 survey, 94 per cent of staff participated which was an increase of 19 per cent from 2013-14.

Staff also benefited from QT’s workplace health and wellbeing policy and services including annual flu vaccinations, the employee assistance program, access to first aid officers, corporate health insurance rates and the opportunity to attend health workshops.

MAIC’s full-time equivalent staff establishment, employee expenses and key executive management personnel and remuneration information can be found in the Financial Information (pages 24-51 for MAIC and pages 52-91 for the Nominal Defendant). Additional information on QT’s workforce strategies and frameworks, along with workforce statistics that include MAIC, can be located in Treasury’s annual report.

Governance

Our corporate governance framework ensures we:

  • meet out statutory responsibilities under the MAI Act and other legislation;
  • integrate risk management into organisational activity; and
  • assess and enhance corporate governance processes, including our systems of internal control.

MAIC is committed to effective risk management and has adopted QT’s framework for proactively identifying, assessing and managing risks. MAIC has continued to work within QT’s policy and framework which is aimed at enhancing risk management capabilities.

MAIC’s leadership team is accountable for risks. As part of MAIC’s ongoing planning and reporting processes, the leadership team identifies and monitors risks that may affect our ability to achieve our strategic objectives. Risk controls and treatment strategies are implemented and maintained with risks being recorded in the Insurance Commission’s risk register and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The updated risk register is forwarded to QT’s Board of Management where it is reviewed from a consolidated QT perspective. The risk register is also reviewed annually by external auditors.

As an integral component of risk assessment, MAIC is committed to business continuity management. This ensures continuity of key business services which are essential for or contribute to achievement of MAIC’s objectives.

In addition to managing operational risks, as part of our portfolio, program, project and contract management methodology, we identify risks associated with initiatives and develop solutions to mitigate and manage them. Initiative reporting includes continual assessment of risks, their impact and the need for intervention.

MAIC participates in QT wide risk and accountability management through representation on the Audit and Risk Management Committee.

Audit and Risk Management Committee

Insurance Commissioner Neil Singleton is a representative on QT’s Audit and Risk Management Committee, where he accesses advice and assurance on the performance or discharge of functions and duties prescribed in the Financial Accountability Act 2009, the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2009, and other relevant legislation and prescribed requirements.

The committee’s key responsibilities include:

  • considering audit and audit-related findings;
  • assessing and enhancing our corporate governance processes including our systems of internal control and the internal audit function;
  • evaluating and facilitating the practical discharge of the internal audit function, particularly in planning, monitoring and reporting;
  • overseeing and appraising our financial and operational reporting processes through the internal audit function;
  • reviewing risk management, control and compliance framework and strategies; and
  • considering our external accountability responsibilities and integrity framework.

The committee met five times during the year and had oversight of various matters including:

  • 2014-15 Internal audit plan
  • 2013-14 financial statements for QT, MAIC and ND.
  • QAO reports to Parliament as they relate to Treasury.

Internal and external accountability

MAIC’s governance framework includes both internal and external accountability measures.

QT provide internal audit services to MAIC through an outsourced arrangement with PwC. In 2014-15, Internal Audit provided an independent and objective assurance service operating in accordance with our Internal Audit Charter, which incorporates key internal audit and ethical standards. This function is independent of the Queensland Audit Office (QAO), however, it does liaise with the QAO regularly to ensure appropriate assurance services are provided.

In 2014-15, Internal Audit conducted a post-implementation review of Connect, the Nominal Defendant’s new claims system to ensure internal controls and processes are operating efficiently and effectively.

Externally, MAIC and the Nominal Defendant are audited by the Queensland Audit Office in accordance with the Financial Accountability Act 2009. MAIC and the Nominal Defendant have achieved unqualified audits since the Commission commenced operations in 1994.

More information on QT’s Audit and Risk Management framework including information about the committee can be located in QT’s annual report.

Information systems and recordkeeping

Effective record keeping is fundamental to good business as records are evidence of business activities, transactions and decisions. MAIC’s strategic approach is to capture records in electronic formats where possible, and where necessary in paper form. MAIC’s records are managed until they have completed their lifecycle where they are archived and disposed of in accordance with the Queensland State Archives Retention and Disposal schedule.

During this financial year, MAIC has realised the benefits of the move to electronic record keeping, reducing paper usage by 87 per cent over the 12 month period. This is in part due to the Nominal Defendant implementing a new claims management system, and in part due to change strategies aimed at reducing printing in the organisation.

MAIC’s recordkeeping framework aligns with Queensland Treasury’s Information Management Framework. The framework aims to ensure our record management practices are consistent with other offices within the Treasury portfolio and are compliant with current legislation and best practice record keeping standards. These include Public Records Act 2002, Information Privacy Act 2009 and the Right to Information Act 2009 (RTA) and Information Standard 18 : Information Security, Information Standard 31 : Retention and Disposal of Government Information, Information Standard 34 : Metadata,Information Standard 38 : Use of ICT Facilities and Devices and Information Standard 40: Recordkeeping.

MAIC supports the Queensland Government Open Data Initiative. In 2014-15, MAIC released 36 datasets including CTP scheme statistical data and annual report data. MAIC’s Open Data sets are available at the following website: https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/compulsory-third-party-ctp-statistics.

CTP scheme statistics

The statistical report (PDF 675 K)  covers all aspects of the CTP scheme required by the Motor Accident Insurance Act 1994, including:

  • Vehicle registrations and CTP premiums collected
  • Scheme delivery components and affordability
  • Average Class 1 filed premiums and market share by insurer
  • Accidents by region
  • Claims by gender and severity
  • Rates of legal representation and litigation
  • Claim duration
  • Claim payments by heads of damage and injury severity

Financial information

These financial statements are an electronic presentation of the audited statements for the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and the Nominal Defendant.

Financial information (PDF 980 K)

Appendices

This section of the Motor Accident Insurance Commission Annual Report 2013-14 includes information on:

Last modified 3 July 2024

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