Gosche Mark: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Gosche Mark: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:646;Page:15266] 
10.  
Hon MARK GOSCHE (Labour—Maungakiekie) 
 to the  
Minister for ACC 
: Has she received any reports regarding the delivery of the ACC scheme? 
Hon MARYAN STREET (Minister for ACC) 
: 
 Yes I have. An independent review by PricewaterhouseCoopers said that the Accident Compensation Corporation under its current Government monopoly structure is performing as well as or better than privatised alternatives and is cheaper for employers. It described the scheme as representing international best practice. 
Hon Mark Gosche 
: Did the report make any recommendations about privatising the Accident Compensation Corporation or making structural changes to the accident compensation scheme? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: Yes it did. The report said international comparative studies had “failed to establish any evidence which would suggest specific changes to ACC’s structural implementation.” However the National Party stated yesterday that the review “tells us nothing we don’t already know.” So I wonder whether it is finally admitting that it knew all along that Labour’s monopoly delivery of accident compensation is the best way to do it. 
Hon Mark Gosche 
: Did the report make any recommendations about privatising the corporation’s employers’ account? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: Yes. In regard to the employers’ account which National briefly privatised the report states: “these observations lead us to form a moderately strong view that a government monopoly is the best observable mechanism for implementing the ACC employers account.” In the face of this mounting evidence how can National members claim that the report has taught them nothing new? 
Pansy Wong 
: Why is the Minister happy for the Accident Compensation Corporation which is a monopoly organisation to spend $1 million on that report which states the corporation should remain a 24-hour no-fault insurance scheme—something no one has proposed changing—and is this nothing more than the corporation conducting Government propaganda in an election year? 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: Thank you for that. I am delighted to hear from the National Opposition that there is to be no change to accident compensation. I welcome that revelation. In answer to another part of the question I did not commission this report. 
Peter Brown 
: Will the Minister confirm that she was satisfied with the New Zealand First - initiated physiotherapy review which was conducted and reported on last year; if so can she advise the House how the Accident Compensation Corporation is responding to the non-financial recommendations and can she further advise whether the Minister of Finance will address the—[ 
Interruption 
] Settle down fellows. Calm down; take a pill! 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The member has asked three supplementary questions in one. 
Hon MARYAN STREET 
: I would love to answer them all but I take your injunction on board Madam Speaker. The Government welcomed the approach from New Zealand First concerning the physiotherapy review and I report to the House that the non-financial recommendations are already being worked through in partnership with the physiotherapists and the Accident Compensation Corporation.