King Annette: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
King Annette: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3783] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
: 
 I rise to speak on the financial review of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). From the Minister for ACC today we have heard a continuation of his manufactured crisis in ACC. I have one question for the Minister: how can the New Zealand accident compensation scheme be too generous if it is still cheaper than the Australian scheme? The National Party likes to compare us with Australia all the time. It says that Australia is better at this and better at that; they are always doing better than New Zealand and we have to catch up. But our accident compensation scheme with 24-hour-a-day cover is cheaper than the Australian scheme. Why then is it too generous for New Zealanders? 
I think the comments made about the Minister’s behaviour which totally embarrassed his colleagues for a number of weeks were picked up on by many commentators. Comments about bizarre actions scaremongering and many others were made at the time about the Minister’s actions. I think that they were true because this was a manufactured crisis to reduce services to New Zealand. 
One other thing the Minister said today is he wants to retain the 24-hour-a-day cover for accident compensation—our iconic cover. He wants to focus on front-line services. Well I have a question for the Minister today. I want to know why the plug has been pulled on the sexual abuse crisis line hat was funded by ACC. That was a 24-hour-a-day service a front-line service. It had over 8000 calls a year yet ACC has just pulled the funding from the 24-hour-a-day crisis service. ACC has funded that service for 8000 callers a year at a cost of about $350000 a year but ACC will not continue that funding in the new financial year and that is a question that needs to be answered. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Yes it will. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No ACC does not intend to fund it. We now have organisations scrabbling around Government departments trying to find money and I know departments have gone to the Minister of Justice looking for money. Why is that sexual abuse crisis line 24-hour-a-day service for New Zealanders not funded by ACC? That has been a crucial service particularly for women who have needed that crisis line. The line provides counselling advocacy and information on a 24-hour-a-day basis. It is a call-out service for women who have been raped. As far as I know that has been covered under ACC for quite some time. Getting advocacy assistance and information at 2 a.m. will not be available through ACC any more; the corporation is not going to fund it. How can the Minister say he wants a 24-hour-a-day front-line service offered by ACC for a mere $350000 a year for—I got it wrong before—8500 calls a year when that money is being chopped? The service must go somewhere else and find the money. Why does ACC not accept that it can provide that service? It picks up other cover; why not pick up that 24-hour-a-day service? 
The service has been a marvellous assistance to many women who have faced sexual abuse in this country. We make a big play about the fact that we are trying to reduce family violence and sexual violence in this country. We have a task force on sexual violence that is aimed at reducing sexual violence and encouraging women to report rape and sexual violence because we know—and the police will tell the Minister this—that the number of women who report rape is the tip of the iceberg. They are frightened to report rape as they know what they will have to go through but that issue can be addressed in another place. 
One of the small assistances they had was the crisis line. I ask the Minister why he is cutting that funding.