Survivors with bullet shrapnel still in their bodies are being warned that if they don’t start the process of job seeking and assessment they will lose their ACC compensation. This is the reality of “business as usual” which the Coordination Minister has thrust upon the impacted community without any warning or consultation.

FIANZ has raised this specific issue of the bullet wounded with the government more than three months ago, but there has been a wall of silence on this matter. It is quite obvious that

Hon Judith Collins has abandoned the moral responsibility due to these innocent victims. They were mercilessly shot with semi-automatic weapons by a terrorist. However, ACC is treating them as victims of an accident in keeping with the "business as usual" guidelines. This is a shameful incongruity.

These wounded persons still have lead oozing into their bodies which is slowly poisoning them. We know of cases of survivors who have gone through multiple surgeries and are also undergoing psychological counseling for PTSD. One is on 24-hour pain medicine. This is at a time when the community is also reliving the trauma of the details of how the shuhada died at the coronial inquiry.

The Minister’s recent announcement that the victims should be treated by the agencies under “business as usual” process has obviously not been well thought out nor discussed with the impacted community. Given that Judith Collins is a senior Minister with experience in more than 12 past and present Ministerial portfolios, it is quite obvious that she is aware of the context and the consequences. Some have concluded that she is sending a deliberate and loud message to the 15 March survivors to ‘suffer in silence’ because they will not be heard by her. We find it particularly unfathomable for the Attorney General to take such a stance. It is quite obvious that social justice is not in her vocabulary.

We would have requested the Prime Minister for an independent review of her performance on this and other matters, however we know that such a review may be pointless, given that the Minister has already stated that the coordinated cross-government response has ended.

Unfortunately for the survivors, the trauma continues under “business as usual”.

Finally it is important to remind ourselves that the State apologised to these innocent victims. We now ask the question whether this type of 'business as usual" approach is consistent with the apology?

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