Moroney Sue: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Moroney Sue: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill — In Committee 
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SUE MORONEY (Labour) 
: 
 I want to bring this debate back to Part 1 because I feel that the debate has strayed somewhat. I particularly want to talk about victims. Members on the other side of the Chamber seem to think that members on this side have not thought about victims. Well I can tell them that we on this side of the Chamber care deeply for victims and that is why we are opposing this bill. I will tell the Committee and listeners a true story about someone who is affected by clause 10—the very unfeeling clause 10 of Part 1. 
David Bennett 
: Is this story about a victim? 
SUE MORONEY 
: Yes I will name the victim. I think he is known to David Bennett because I think he has visited David Bennett and been told that he will get no help and support whatsoever. His name is Bruce Gardiner and he is from Hamilton. I hope that members on the other side of the Chamber will give the story the respect it deserves because it is not a very pretty story. 
Bruce Gardiner was a milk tanker driver and he was setting about doing his job one day just as any other day started out for him. But quite quickly his life was changed for ever because a very young man ran out in front of Bruce Gardiner’s milk tanker in order to take his own life—in order to commit suicide. Not only has Bruce Gardiner suffered already at the hands of this Government because of the mental injury that he suffered as a result of the trauma associated with that accident; his compensation has already been taken away by this uncaring Government— 
David Bennett 
: He wasn’t even covered by your one anyway. 
SUE MORONEY 
: Oh so David Bennett is about to tell the Hon Nick Smith the Minister in the chair that when the previous Labour Government passed the bill Bruce Gardiner had already suffered his mental injury. But Bruce Gardiner has had enough guts enough courage to campaign for others who face his situation because he wants to make sure that no one else faces the living hell that he faced. He did not get any compensation for the mental injury he suffered as a result of being involved in that unfortunate incident. 
David Bennett does not care because he thinks that is fine. He thinks it is absolutely fine that not only did Bruce Gardiner not get that compensation at the time but no Bruce Gardiners in the future will ever have that compensation. David Bennett’s Government has made sure of that. It has made sure that people receiving mental injuries through work accidents will not get compensation. So that is one part of the story. The second part of the story— 
David Bennett 
: Labour didn’t give it to him. 
SUE MORONEY 
: The Labour Government did change the law to recognise mental injuries suffered through work accidents so the member is quite wrong. 
But the part of the story that really brings us to this bill is that now the family of the young man who caused the issue the family of the young man who committed suicide will no longer be able to get compensation under this bill. Bruce Gardiner has told me how horrified he is about that because after that event changed his life for ever he became very very involved with the young man’s family. Can members imagine the situation when that accident occurred and he had to tell the family because it happened outside the family property? 
David Bennett 
: What clause are you talking about? 
SUE MORONEY 
: I am talking about clause 10 and I think David Bennett should read the bill. That family now will not get compensation for that— 
David Bennett 
: They don’t get it now. 
SUE MORONEY 
: Yes they can—yes they can; I think that that absolutely shows the lack of understanding. The compensation that they used to pay for funeral expenses will no longer be available. It will no longer be available under this bill. I really think that the Minister should educate his own caucus about this because those members do not seem to understand what they are about to vote for. They do not seem to understand that they are about to take that compensation away from families who are already suffering. Through no fault of their own they are paying funeral expenses that are covered now I tell Mr Bennett but they will not be covered because of his vote on this bill. Because of clause 10 they will no longer be covered.