Hipkins Chris: Urgent Debates — Accident Compensation Corporation—Release of Personal Information 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hipkins Chris: Urgent Debates — Accident Compensation Corporation—Release of Personal Information 
[Sitting date: 20 March 2012. Volume:678;Page:1081. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) 
: 
 This has been a massive breach of privacy and I have full confidence that the Privacy Commissioner will thoroughly investigate that aspect of this matter and will report fully on that aspect of this matter and we can have confidence that that will happen. This suggests a systemic breakdown within the ACC that may well lead to significant further repercussions for ACC and I have confidence the Privacy Commissioner will investigate that fully. What I do not have confidence in is the fact that the Government is taking this seriously when a Minister in this Cabinet has shown such a lack of judgment—the Minister for ACC—that they were willing to write a letter of support for an individual ACC claimant. Nick Smith showed not only a lack of judgment; it was completely appropriate. He should resign from his post as a Minister and if he does not resign John Key should sack him. John Key promised that he was going to raise the bar for ministerial accountability and what he had this morning was Nick Smith saying that he did not do anything wrong. This is what Nick Smith said this morning before he was caught: “Ministers still have friends and providing there is no inappropriate influence it is quite appropriate for them to provide information or evidence for medical assessment and other legal processes.” 
That is from the Minister for ACC. He was providing advice and support to someone to support their ACC claim and he did not think that was inappropriate. Then he turned round and said that it was an error of judgment particularly putting the letter on ministerial letterhead. Ministerial letterhead is not the issue. It would not have mattered if he had written it on a napkin. It was inappropriate for Nick Smith as the Minister for ACC to be going in to bat for an individual ACC claimant. That is what took place here and Nick Smith should resign as a Minister. He does not have the judgment to be a Minister and if he does not resign then John Key should sack him. 
But there was another aspect of this issue that is equally disturbing and that is the role of the former National Party President Michelle Boag. It is an issue that amounts to if allegations are correct one of blackmail one of a claimant using information aided and abetted by the former National Party president and trying to blackmail the ACC. This is an incredibly serious issue. This claimant was given information by accident and we should get to the bottom of how that happened but they then tried to use that information supported by the former National Party president. And with the full knowledge that they had a letter of endorsement from Nick Smith the former Minister for ACC in their back pocket they effectively tried to blackmail the ACC and that is not good enough. That should be fully investigated. That is not something this Government should have its paw prints all over; this is something that the Government needs somebody independent to fully investigate. 
This is an incredibly serious matter. It is a question of whether or not the ACC was blackmailed or whether somebody tried to blackmail the ACC using information they were not supposed to have. They were not supposed to have that information and the National Party’s fingerprints are all over it. Nick Smith is tangentially involved in this because he had supported that very ACC claimant. He had written a letter claiming that to the best of his knowledge they did not have any health or other conditions that would have compromised their capacity to work prior to the accident and in fact he provided that information so that there could be a comparative assessment of that person’s current health. There only can be a comparative assessment of that person’s current health for what other purpose than an ACC claim and this was written on the ministerial letterhead of the Minister for ACC. It would not matter though whether it was on ministerial letterhead at all; it was still the Minister for ACC. Does Nick Smith seriously have such bad judgment that he thinks that if he had written it on a plain piece of paper the people at ACC who got it would not know that the person who had written it was the Minister to whom they were accountable? 
Andrew Little 
: He should go. 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: This Minister should go. If he does not resign the Prime Minister should sack him. Nick Smith does not have the judgment to be a Minister in Government. John Key said he was going to raise the bar for ministerial accountability. Well now it is time for him to put up or shut up. If Nick Smith does not resign John Key should sack him.