Labour MPs address ACC forum

Labour deputy leader Annette King urges the need to avoid ACC service cuts and excessive levy...
Labour deputy leader Annette King urges the need to avoid ACC service cuts and excessive levy rises. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
The Government is making "a huge fundamental mistake" in its handling of motorcyclist protests over proposed ACC levy hikes, Labour deputy leader Annette King says.

Mrs King and Labour ACC spokesman David Parker were the two main speakers at an ACC stakeholders forum held at Burns Hall, near First Church, Dunedin, yesterday.

Dunedin South MP Clare Curran and Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson also took part in the meeting, which was attended by about 30 people, many of them representing community groups concerned with ACC-related issues.

About 5000 angry motorcyclists took their protest over the motorcycle levy hikes to Parliament last month.

ACC Minister Nick Smith later indicated that although the levies had to go up, the rise might not be as much as had been initially flagged.

Mrs King said the Government was making exaggerated claims about financial problems with the ACC scheme, but it had substantial reserves and should not be privatised or otherwise damaged.

She had been present during the motorcycle protest at Parliament, and the Government was mishandling it.

If the levy situation was not clarified, and motorcyclists spent the summer holidays talking to family members and others about the prospects of a hefty rise, "they're going to be really steamed up", she said.

She hoped the Government would take "a sensible decision" over the matter but she had little confidence it would.

Bruce Van Essen, the vice-president of Acclaim Otago, a support group for ACC claimants, voiced his concerns that recently proposed changes to the ACC scheme would move it further away from its founding principles.

Mr Parker said cuts to some of the fall-prevention programmes funded by ACC were "just nonsense".

ACC officials have said ACC remained committed to preventing falls in older adults and a modified tai chi programme would continue to be funded.

Mr Parker said a key fall-prevention programme, which had been developed by Prof John Campbell and other researchers at the Otago Medical School, was no longer being funded by ACC.

It was "very unusual" that a programme whose benefits had been clearly established and which was being emulated overseas, was being cut.

Age Concern Otago executive officer Susan Davidson noted the tai chi programme was continuing but this was not suitable for everyone.

She was "gravely concerned" about the future of other ACC-supported fall-prevention programmes.

 

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