Schools Sporting Injuries
Wednesday, 14 April 2010 09:55
Schools, Sporting Injuries
Dr FLEGG (Moggill—LNP) (11.38 am): Every time a child takes the field in school sports they runa small but present risk of a serious injury such as an acquired brain injury, a spinal injury, loss of vision or the like. Imagine, then, the shock of the parents of one Gold Coast student who suffered the loss of the use of a limb in school sport when they were told they had no provision for cover. State school students in Queensland are on their own.We live in an insured world where insurance is required for every group—for example, for medical practitioners before they are allowed to practise. I contacted private schools, netball associations and rugby associations, and not one of these associations would put a child on the field without insurance cover. And because they are covering large numbers of people that insurance cover is cheap and affordable. However, for state school students in Queensland the only recourse left to them is to prove legal negligence in a court. We are simply saying to parents that they are on their own, and the bills can be enormous—not just medical bills but also physiotherapy, occupational therapy, modifications to homes and non-hospital based care.
I call on this government, as a beginning at least, to ensure that insurance is offered to every family in a state school in Queensland so that people are not left with disabled or injured children with absolutely no support or cover. I also call on the government to investigate the options for universal cover of students. Individuals do not have access to cheap insurance the way a group like a school or government department does.(Time expired)