Media release on behalf of the ACC Futures Coalition - 13 June 2012

Coalition calls for Forum on ACC

The ACC Futures Coalition today called on Minister Judith Collins to set up a forum on the future of ACC involving all the stakeholders, including claimant groups, health provider groups and unions, as well as business interests.

“We are deeply concerned about the loss of trust in ACC,” said ACC Futures Coalition spokesperson Hazel Armstrong, “and we think that we need to get all the stakeholders in the room to talk about how we restore the integrity of the scheme. We think the Minister is rethinking how the scheme operates but she is not talking to all those with an interest. It appears to us that it is only business interests and levy payers that have any influence at the moment and that needs to be rectified. A forum of the type we are calling for would provide that opportunity.”

“The ACC Futures Coalition does not agree that the Minister needs to resign,” said Ms Armstrong. “We think she inherited a situation from Nick Smith and she is working with a bad hand to try and rectify things. However, she needs to think more deeply about the cultural issues than she appears to be at the moment and that includes talking to groups like us. We have sought meetings with her in the past with no success.”

“The opportunity for a rethink has also been reinforced by the resignation of Ralph Stewart as Chief Executive,” said Ms. Armstrong. “He came from an insurance background and we need to reconnect to the social welfare intent and purpose of the scheme as originally designed by Sir Owen Woodhouse. We call on the Minister to seize the opportunity and establish a broad-based forum on the future of ACC.”

ENDS
The ACC Futures Coalition consists of community groups, academics, organisations representing people who need support from ACC, health treatment providers and unions who have come together around the following aim:
To build cross-party support for retaining the status of ACC as a publicly-owned single provider committed to the ‘Woodhouse Principles’, with a view to maintaining and improving the provision of injury prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and ‘no fault’ compensation social insurance system for all New Zealanders.

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