Carmel SEPULONI
Victims Rights spokesperson
Friday, 15 April 2011

Nick Smith must take action to ensure ACC is focused on delivering vital counselling and support services to sexual abuse victims instead of defending senior advisers who threaten legal action against those who raise concerns, says Carmel Sepuloni.

“The situation where ACC’s senior medical adviser Peter Jansen slapped a $250,000 lawsuit on a sexual abuse victim over her blog should never have been allowed to happen.

“Labour understands this is not the first time that employees/ contractors to ACC have taken this approach to critics of ACC’s changes to counselling services for sexual abuse victims.

“The ACC Minister claims Peter Jansen is acting as a private individual rather than an employee of the corporation. But Peter Jansen is in fact taking legal action against people who criticize his actions as an ACC adviser. You cannot separate the two.

“As Minister, Nick Smith should have been advised about the legal action. Clearly there is poor communication between him and his own officials.

“This whole debacle is a symptom of a culture that Nick Smith has defended and continues to defend within the corporation. He should stand up and say publicly that this kind of behavior from the ACC adviser is unacceptable.”

ENDS

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