Russell DeborahDr DEBORAH RUSSELL (Labour—New Lynn): As New Zealanders we are I think rightly proud of our accident compensation scheme. It's an astonishing scheme. It is based on the idea that we need to look after people who have had accidents and we do it on a no-fault basis. It doesn't matter whether you've caused the accident yourself. It doesn't matter particularly what the circumstances are around it. If you have been injured—whether it's at home at work on the sportsground bungy jumping or whatever and you're injured—we will look after you. We'll ensure your injuries are treated and if your injuries are such that you cannot work we will even replace your income. It's an extraordinarily generous scheme. That generosity is actually part of our superannuation scheme too. Just as we led the world—and still lead it actually—with our accident compensation scheme we led the world with New Zealand superannuation. It started in 1898. It was extraordinarily early for an old-age pension but back then it was only a small payment. You had to have lived in New Zealand for 25 years to get that old-age pension and it was only available to persons of good character. We actually had a moral character test sitting in our superannuation. Now over the years we have changed that. We have no moral character test for our superannuation just as we actually have no moral character test for accident compensation. We're not interested in testing people's morality; we are simply interested in ensuring that they are supported as needed. Of course we've actually changed some of the aspects around these schemes and in particular these days we have some time requirements around New Zealand superannuation. It's not as hard; it's only a 10-year test. Provided you've lived in New Zealand for at least 10 years after age 20 with at least five of those after age 50 you are eligible for New Zealand superannuation. The extraordinary thing is that if you arrive at age 65 then at age 75 you can collect New Zealand superannuation. We really are very generous when it comes to supporting people. Now we need to test the eligibility for claims on it and there are some complicated rules around accident compensation for what happens when someone has an injury just before the age at which they might have received New Zealand superannuation. If you are injured less than 12 months before your 65th birthday then from age 65 you can choose super or ACC but only for another 12 months of ACC maximum. But if it's 12 to 24 months before your birthday you choose again but there's a limit on it. You can only claim 24 months' max of ACC. If you're injured two years or more before your 65th birthday then again your eligibility for ACC stops at age 65 and that's because actually people do stop working. The problem with this bill suggested by Melissa Lee is that in some cases for migrants it would somehow extend that eligibility for ACC for up to 10 years. Now we know that people are working longer. We know that people do work past age 65 and we know many people who work up to their late 60s but I suggest that in most cases we do not have people who work full-time up to age 75. Here's the thing with ACC: we replace 80 percent of your income. That's a lot of income that we're replacing and in the way that this bill is drafted someone would be able to choose that right through for nearly up to 10 years. Now that might help a small group of migrants but it would be unfair to other New Zealanders who by the time they've been injured for two years after their 65th birthday are kicked off ACC. That is the unfairness that is in this bill. So I commend the idea behind it. We do want to make sure that people do receive support but we want to make sure that it is fair that it treats all people living in New Zealand fairly and reasonably and that they are treated as much as possible with parity. This is why I do not support this bill.