Victims of Road Accidents Want Changes to the Transport Accident Commission

The article was written by Charlotte Wilkes.

It was published by ABC Ballarat.

The topic is about the State and Territory Parliament.

The article was published on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 6:34 am.

Melita Parker was in a car accident 34 years ago.

In short, road accident victims are speaking out.

They told a parliamentary inquiry about their experiences with the Transport Accident Commission.

Melita Parker said the TAC only helps when clients make a lot of noise.

What happens next?

The inquiry will make recommendations to the parliament in a few months.

When Melita Parker was 21, she was in a serious car accident.

The accident happened in 1992, and she was going 140 kilometers per hour when the car hit a tree.

The doctors did not think she would survive the trip to the hospital.

She spent a week in intensive care and then 12 months in rehabilitation.

Melita Parker made a statement to the parliamentary inquiry about her experiences with the TAC.

Since the accident, Melita Parker has been living with chronic pain and a brain injury.

The doctors told her she would not be able to go back to school or have a career.

But with the help of the TAC, she was able to prove them wrong.

It was a difficult experience.

The TAC is a government organization that helps people who are injured in transport accidents.

The TAC pays for medical benefits and support services for people who are injured, no matter who caused the accident.

The TAC is funded by a fee that is added to vehicle registration.

The parliamentary inquiry looked at the TAC's processes and how it handles claims.

Melita Parker said she was able to defy the expectations of her doctors after the accident.

The inquiry also looked at how the TAC interacts with other services, such as the NDIS.

Melita Parker told the inquiry that the culture of the TAC has changed in recent years.

What has disturbed her the most is not one incident, but the pattern she has seen.

The system only moves when clients make a lot of noise.

This is not a good system for injured people.

There are consequences when the TAC delays helping clients.

Melita Parker had to wait four months for the TAC to approve her pain treatment.

The TAC is supposed to make decisions about treatment within 28 days.

The TAC also made a report that said things about Melita Parker that were not true.

She has been on WorkCover for PTSD for over 10 years and cannot go back to work.

The report could have stopped her from getting the help she needed.

Melita Parker also made a complaint about a TAC employee who was aggressive and unprofessional.

The TAC apologized to Melita Parker for its mistakes.

Melita Parker said that clients have to fight to get basic treatment.

There seems to be a culture of not doing what is required, and clients have to escalate their claims to get help.

The inquiry should look at whether the TAC's culture is consistent with its obligations.

The experience of dealing with the TAC can be dehumanizing.

Other people who made submissions to the inquiry said they had similar experiences.

One person said that their private medical information was sent to the wrong person.

The inquiry heard that clients have to advocate for themselves to get treatment.

The TAC says it paid $1.87 billion to help clients in 2024-2025.

Health providers said they had problems getting paid by the TAC and had to deal with a lot of paperwork.

Two witnesses said that TAC employees tried to intimidate them into not giving evidence.

One woman said that the TAC did not recognize her diagnosis of long concussion syndrome.

She said the TAC needs a big change.

There are systemic issues with the TAC.

Organizations that help people with disabilities said they have found problems with the TAC.

These issues are worse for Aboriginal people, people who experience family violence, and those who live in rural areas.

One organization helped a woman who had a brain injury and was a victim of domestic violence.

The TAC did not consider the context of the woman's situation, and she did not get the help she needed.

The organization said that the TAC and the NDIS did not work well together to help the woman.

The TAC's chief executive apologized to clients who had bad experiences.

The TAC has been operating for 40 years and is trying to improve.

The chief executive said that the TAC is not perfect, but it can always get better.

The TAC knows that clients expect timely decisions, clear communication, and to be treated with respect.

The TAC is taking the issues raised at the inquiry seriously.

The TAC had 40 new clients every day in 2024-2025.

The chief executive said that allegations of intimidation by TAC staff would be investigated.

The TAC funded $1.87 billion in treatments and services for clients in 2024-2025.

The TAC helped around 43,255 clients, ranging from those with short-term injuries to those with severe injuries.

The chief executive said that the TAC has made improvements to make it easier for health providers to work with them.

The TAC has improved its payment processes and increased its fees.

The TAC has also made improvements to reduce delays for clients.

ABC Ballarat provides local news.

The article was published on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 6:34 am.

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