Legislation to overhaul Victoria's broken worker compensation scheme will not pass state parliament this year after it was referred to an upper house inquiry. The Legislative Council on Wednesday voted in favour of a coalition-led motion to refer the WorkCover bill to a committee for an inquiry with public hearings and to report back by March next year. The Victorian coalition and Greens have refused to support the bill to tighten eligibility and testing requirements in its current form. The opposition instead called for a short and sharp inquiry, insisting the Economy and Infrastructure committee would be able to report back before the reforms are due to take effect in late March. "It's a victory for common sense and balanced reform," Opposition Leader John Pesutto told reporters. "What this will enable parliament to do is improve an inadequate bill." Under the government's legislation, workers suffering stress and burnout would no longer be able to access weekly WorkCover benefits. They would instead be eligible for 13 weeks of provisional payments to cover medical treatment, along with access to enhanced psychosocial support services. Workers receiving payments beyond two-and-a-half years would also have to undergo another impairment and capacity test to determine if they are still eligible. WorkCover's claims liability has tripled in Victoria since 2010, mainly due to the increased cost of weekly income support. Many workers are staying on the scheme longer, with mental injury accounting for 16 per cent of new claims. Taxpayers have topped up the WorkCover scheme with an extra $1.2 billion to offset rising costs over the previous three financial years. The average premium for businesses was lifted from 1.27 per cent to 1.8 per cent in July after the government declared the scheme was broken and in need of an overhaul. Premier Jacinta Allan has repeatedly warned the government will have no choice but to raise premiums for businesses if the bill doesn't pass. Australian Associated Press