Smith Nick: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Smith Nick: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3785] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for ACC) 
: 
 I will take the opportunity to respond to the point that Annette King raised in relation to the very sensitive area of support for women in Auckland who have been sexually abused or raped. I wish to put her correct in terms of this issue. Nikki Kaye the member for Auckland Central raised these issues with the Associate Minister for ACC Pansy Wong and me late last week. I and the Associate Minister met with officials from the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) yesterday to work through these issues. 
The fundamental difficulty is that the funding currently provided in lump-sum form for the Auckland Sexual Abuse Help Foundation helpline is outside the legal boundaries of what ACC can legally fund in terms of payment for a service and that has brought about this need for the review and the notification. I and the Associate Minister for ACC who is also the Minister of Women’s Affairs are concerned about the impact of this matter. For that reason the Associate Minister for ACC wrote to ACC yesterday requiring a 3-month extension of the funding which will give us the time frame in which to work with the other Government agencies. The Ministry of Social Development also has an interest in this. It provides funding of about $350000 a year for this service as well. Funding also comes from the Auckland District Health Board. 
Over the 3-month time frame we want to review the service to see that there is fairness in who receives funding. But I want to provide on behalf of the Government an assurance to the people of Auckland who are dependent on that service— 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: What about all women of New Zealand? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: Well a review is taking place right now around the services for people who are affected by both rape and sexual abuse. The Government is looking to receive that report in June and we will not be making any decisions until then. I will say to Ms Chadwick however that Labour had 9 years to address these issues in communities like Nelson. What did the member do? 
Paul Quinn 
: What did she do in Rotorua? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: We have that reality in Rotorua and in all sorts of places. I would say firstly that Pansy Wong has been absolutely on top of this very sensitive issue in Auckland. She has made the right decision— 
Hon Shane Jones 
: When will ACC be sold? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: That really is a sign of how desperate the Labour Party in Opposition is. When Labour has left for the incoming Government a $10 billion hole around the accident compensation scheme the greatest intellectual contribution that we can get from those members is the tired old rant of privatisation. This Government is committed to ensuring New Zealanders have security around accident compensation. That will mean addressing the financial mess that Labour left in this area. But as is evidenced in the very correct action that was taken by Pansy Wong yesterday we will do that in a sensible way where key services like those available to victims of rape are not compromised in the process. 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: Right across New Zealand? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: They will not be compromised in the way that the financial mess left by Labour would have allowed. 
I seek leave to table the two letters that have been sent by Pansy Wong to the corporation and to the Auckland Sexual Abuse Help Foundation Trust so that the Committee can have the true record not the misrepresented view that we heard from the deputy leader— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: Leave is sought to table those letters. Is there any objection? There is not. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.