O'Connor Simon: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Connor Simon: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 01 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19082. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SIMON O’CONNOR (National—Tāmaki):Do not be so disappointed across the other side. It is amazing how hearing works quite well for some members particularly on this side of the Chamber. We hear the needs of New Zealanders which is very pleasing. But hearing the small talk from the Opposition you learn quite a bit.I will get back to hearing in a moment because I want to continue the contrast noted by my colleague from Hamilton David Bennett the very fine chair of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee which has considered Vote ACC. What we have seen really is an ACC scheme under National that is working very very well a board that is working well and the staff and wider teams of ACC working very well. If I can I will just say thank you to those staff particularly those on the front line at ACC who are working through those claims day after day—that can be very difficult. I acknowledge too though that there are often Kiwis who still find it difficult engaging. That is always a challenge but it is something that the National Party hears and this Government hears and continues to work positively towards.We have turned ACC round. Before we took over the Treasury benches it was pretty clear under the previous Government that ACC had lost its focus. In many ways it had just become about pouring in more money but not actually getting claimants back to their independence. That is analogous of course with the approach of previous left-leaning Governments—to actually keep people dependent rather than independent in this false belief that if you just throw enough money at people everything will be solved and fixed. Whereas on this side we understand—and it is our approach to ACC as well—that the absolute key is to get someone back into work and to give them that opportunity to re-engage with themselves their family their community and their workforce.Just to illustrate that the cost of claims under Labour increased by 57 percent in 4 years—the cost of claims went up 57 percent. Again we have had it analogously across a number of portfolios in this House where a Labour Government and a Labour-Greens Government believed that more money would make a difference. What we saw in portfolio after portfolio—and ACC is no exemption—was that more money went in but there were fewer results.This Government is proud to have turned that round. It has turned that round. We have seen enormous changes and about $387 million less in ACC levies. Since 1 April 2014 so only a few months ago New Zealand households have been keeping over $200 a year and businesses are about $180 better off—that is small businesses because larger ones are about $6000 better off on average. That is substantial money back in Kiwis’ pockets which enables them to continue to make their decisions with their money. We are very mindful that although we are proud of ACC and the work that it does—a scheme that is in some ways the envy of the world—and we want it to be there we also understand that it is funded by Kiwis for Kiwis and so we do not want to have to levy them any more than required.The really good news is that as we approach this new Budget year we are expecting further reductions in ACC levies. In fact one of the ways you will find it directly manifest will be actually within your private motor vehicle costs which could drop up to about $130.Paul Foster-Bell: How much?SIMON O’CONNOR: It is $130 I say to my fine colleague Paul Foster-Bell who is working here in Wellington Central and across the country. So this is great news. We will actually directly experience that and that is fantastic.But we are also focused on getting people back into work so there has been a lot of action in the rehabilitation space. I have got some statistics in front of me and we can see that long-term outcomes for clients here in New Zealand are 5 percent higher than those of our Australian counterparts and that more people who have been off work for more than a year have returned to independence. This is absolutely critical.One of the things that we have manifested through ACC and other areas was for under-6-year-olds. This was one of our first steps. If you were under 6 years of age you could get free care at the general practitioner or free after-hours accident care. Of course we have now extended free care from general practitioners and free prescriptions for those up to 13 years of age.I mentioned at the start about hearing and that the Government has heard and I think we just want to note the excellent announcement today by the Minister for ACC around hearing loss and the extra money and support we are putting in.Vote agreed to.