Alex Collie
澳洲Monash University 教授，COMPARE計畫主持人Current Position：
Director, Insurance Work and Health Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Education：
PhD (Psychology)
Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours)
Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
Professional Experience：
Managing Director, Victorian Neurotrauma Initiative (2006 to 2009)
Chief Research Officer and Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Safety Compensation and Recovery Research, Monash University (2009 to 2014)
Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University (2014 to present)
Special Honor
Australian Research Council Future Fellow (2020 to 2024)
Churchill Fellow (2011)
演講主題：
Policy and work disability: Insights from comparative studies of Australian workers’ compensation systems.
Prevention of work disability and promotion of return to work are central mandates of occupational health agencies worldwide. In Australia compensation and rehabilitation for people with work disability is organised through workers’ compensation systems established in state, territory and national law. In total there are 11 main workers' compensation systems in operation across the nation. All operate under an ‘insurance model’, with premiums collected from employers based on the risk of work injury. The benefits and services provided are similar between schemes and focus on medical treatment/healthcare, income support and long-term care for workers with complex health needs. The Australian schemes also share common objectives, which include an emphasis on returning injured workers to work and maintaining the financial sustainability of the compensation schemes. Despite these high-level similarities, there is substantial variability in policy and practice between the Australian workers’ compensation schemes. They vary with respect to their structure and administration, the coverage and eligibility of workers, the types of benefits and entitlements provided, and the approach to case management. These systems are also dynamic, with policy and practice changes very common. Australia also has a national minimum workers’ compensation compensation database and a regular national return to work survey, providing a foundation for a national research program. This presentation will provide an overview of a program of comparative research, conducted over the past eight years, that has exploited these data assets to enhance understanding of the impacts of policy on work disability and return to work among injured Australian workers. Findings from this research program show both that workers’ compensation policy has a substantial impact on duration of work disability and return to work outcomes, and also that policy influences determinants of return to work.
