Dean Jacqui; Halbert Shanan; Henare PeeniACCIDENT COMPENSATION (ACCESS REPORTING AND OTHER MATTERS) AMENDMENT BILLIn CommitteePart 1 and 2 Schedule and clauses 1 to 3CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): Members we come now to the Accident Compensation (Access Reporting and Other Matters) Amendment Bill.SHANAN HALBERT (Junior Whip—Labour): I seek leave for all provisions to be taken as one question.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is none. Members—oh I'm just going to find it. The question is that Parts 1 and 2 the Schedule and clauses 1 to 3 stand part.Hon PEENI HENARE (Minister for ACC): Can I begin by acknowledging the Education and Workforce Committee for its diligent and thorough consideration of this bill. I also want to acknowledge everyone who has submitted on the bill during the select committee stage. I understand that the committee considered submissions from a range of organisations and representatives. Their input has been proven to be invaluable in this process. The Accident Compensation (Access Reporting and Other Matters) Amendment Bill makes three changes to the Accident Compensation Act all broadly focused on improving equity of access to the accident compensation scheme. The bill delivers on two of our 2020 election manifesto commitments. The first which Part 1 deals with is to return the Accident Compensation Corporation to its original purpose of assisting all New Zealanders who have had an injury. The second commitment we are delivering on included in Part 2 is to address the changes that National made when last in office which unfairly disadvantaged tens of thousands of New Zealand workers.Part 1 of the bill sets up the new duty for ACC to report on access to the scheme by Māori and identified population groups. It also makes changes to the purpose of the Act and adds a corresponding function for ACC. These changes reaffirm ACC's focus on all people with eligible injuries rather than only on those who have made a claim. The new access reports will focus on how many population groups experiencing barriers are accessing ACC including women disabled people Pacific people and Māori. Māori are specifically named for inclusion in the access reports to acknowledge their status as tangata whenua and Treaty partners to the Crown. The new reporting duty will improve transparency around access to the scheme and the reports will not only provide data on how the scheme is being used but will go a few steps further to understand why people are or are not accessing ACC when they are entitled to. We know that some groups are accessing and benefiting less from ACC than others but we do not have a good insight into why or the drivers of these disparities. If we are to remove barriers to ACC this is where we need to start. As a Minister for ACC I want to know what is causing any disparities so that we can begin to fix them. I want to know if it's about how and where we are offering treatment or the cost of transport or a lack of trust or something else. These reports go further than anything we currently do or have previously done to understand access to the accident compensation scheme. Part 2 of the bill brings forward eligibility for the minimum rate of weekly compensation from the sixth to the second week of a claimant's incapacity to work reversing a change from 2010. This means people will get access to a top-up to their weekly compensation earlier supporting them in their recovery a change that ACC estimates will help approximately 10000 people. It also inserts a new Part 4 into Schedule 1AA of the Act. These provisions outline the requirements for the first and second access reports. The first two access reports have different staggered requirements to allow ACC to phase in its capability to understand what the data is showing and what are the causes of disparities in access to the scheme and to produce the reports over three years.Other changes to Schedule 1 of the Act state that the change to the timing of eligibility for the minimum rate of weekly compensation applies to claimants who first become entitled to weekly compensation on or after the date that the change comes into effect and to claimants who were already entitled to weekly compensation and continue to be entitled to it when the change comes into effect.Lastly I want to acknowledge the differing views from parties across the House as presented in the select committee's report and the Green Party's additional views. I look forward to a robust debate on these particular issues and I look forward to questions.