Gosche Mark: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Gosche Mark: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:648;Page:17232] 
1. Hon MARK GOSCHE (Labour—Maungakiekie) 
 to the  
Minister for ACC 
: What reports has she received on changes to ACC levy rates? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) 
 on behalf of the  
Minister for ACC 
: I have seen reports that under the current system levy rates are “rising rapidly” and “going through the roof” and that “Levy rates are now substantially lower …”. I have also seen reports that under an alternative scenario of privatisation “I think premiums will go down.” “I’m not convinced there’ll be a huge reduction in levies.” and “Some are currently paying too little.” All of these reports come from Mr John Key. 
Hon Mark Gosche 
: Has he seen any other reports concerning ongoing commitments to keeping accident compensation as a 24-hour no-faults scheme? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I have seen a report that describes the principles developed at great length by the Woodhouse commission and accepted over many many years on which this accident compensation system is founded as “Yeah no-fault 24-hour no-fault blah blah blah.” This statement made by Mr Key on radio was further followed by a statement that privatising accident compensation if a National Government were elected was—and this is a real beauty when we get to the substance of it—“almost certainly likely”. 
Hon Mark Gosche 
: Has the Minister seen any reports from experts welcoming the privatisation of accident compensation? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: No after an extensive search we have not. We have seen a number of reports from experts opposing the privatisation of accident compensation; for example Mr Don Rennie on behalf of the New Zealand Law Society pointing out that the insurance industry will want to have a slice of the pie so that it can make a profit. A compensation lawyer said there will be hundreds of thousands of demarcation disputes coming out. The physiotherapists were very strongly opposing it given their previous experience of the failed privatisation of accident compensation. Clearly given this policy and the opposition from all those who know something about the system there is an even greater need for National members to come clean about who made what donations to them at the last election. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: Can the Minister confirm that the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) is not a State-owned enterprise and has he seen reports that a future Government no matter how far in the future would not sell State-owned enterprises; if so do those reports mean that it is possible that that future Government could sell assets that are not State-owned enterprises including ACC TVNZ Air New Zealand the roads the schools and the hospitals of New Zealand? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: That is absolutely correct. But even if it were members need to remind themselves that we have heard this all before. In a written question in 1993 in a response to that the Rt Hon Bill Birch said that it was not Government policy to privatise accident compensation. That seems very strange because when the Labour Government came into office it had to undo privatisation of accident compensation.