Brown Peter: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill (No 2) — In Committee 
Brown Peter: Injury Prevention Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill (No 2) — In Committee 
[Volume:648;Page:16955] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I probably will not take my full 5 minutes but I want to respond to what Pansy Wong said. She made some interesting comments. She drew New Zealand First and me personally into the debate about self-inflicted injury. She is correct inasmuch as I did express some concern about that clause at the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee and she approached me and intimated that National would produce a Supplementary Order Paper to delete the clause. I said if I recall correctly that New Zealand First would give that strong consideration. 
But after that I spoke with officials and various other people and I put our view this way: New Zealand First accepts that people who attempt suicide successfully or unsuccessfully are in general terms suffering from some mental disorder. We do not think it is a natural thing to do and we would not challenge that as being beyond the coverage of the accident compensation scheme. 
Pansy Wong said I made it appear that it was a common occurrence for people to drop heavy boxes or weights on their feet to avoid work. I certainly did not want to give the impression that it was a common occurrence and I would go as far as to say I did not give that impression. But I am aware—and I state it again tonight for Pansy’s consideration or knowledge—that I am aware of people who have dropped heavy boxes on their feet to get a few days off work. Their injuries were not serious but they were covered by the accident compensation scheme and they got a few days off work. 
But it was pointed out to me by officials and by other people that to do anything about that in terms of engaging lawyers and taking the battle to court would cost more than it would achieve and was not worth pursuing. But had the National Party members been serious in their assertions and had they come up with a Supplementary Order Paper—as I was expecting—to delete clause 20 from this bill my colleagues would have been prepared to give it strong consideration and vote— 
Simon Power 
: Would the member have voted for it? 
PETER BROWN 
: We were going to consider depending what National said whether to support it. We were seriously going to consider supporting it. But National members did not raise the concern at the appropriate time. They did not even raise it during the debate on Part 1 and it came up again in the debate on Part 2 and the debate on the title. It is the same with Mr Bennett. He raves on about retrospectivity but he said nothing about it at select committee. He got it all confused and he was torn to shreds by Russell Fairbrother. He was torn to shreds and I know that he did not mean what he said. 
These National guys particularly the guys speaking on the bill tonight are phoney—absolutely phoney. [ 
Interruption 
] No they have no intention of delivering on what they have been saying. Their speeches are full of hot air and they have absolutely no concern for accident victims—no concern whatsoever. They are just trying to attract media attention or something else. Will those members use taxpayers’ money to address some of the concerns they have should they get to the Government benches? The answer is no. Will they rescind this bill? I do not think so. I think it is all hot air and bull from the National members. The sooner we get this bill passed the better for everybody involved.