A brief history of family care

2000:

● Discrimination complaint lodged with the Human Rights Commission about the Government’s refusal to pay family carers.

2005:

● The complaint is unable to be resolved and is lodged with the Human Rights Review Tribunal.

2010:

● The Atkinson claim is upheld by the Human Rights Review Tribunal, finding that excluding payments to carers of disabled family members was discriminatory and in breach of human rights.

2010:

● An appeal by the Ministry of Health is dismissed by the High Court.

2012:

● An appeal by the Ministry of Health is dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

2012:

● The Government announces it will not appeal the Atkinson case to the Supreme Court. It instead plans policy to address the issue.

2013:

● Part 4A of the NZ Public Health and Disability Act 2000 is rushed through on Budget night under urgency. It underpins a limited Funded Family Care policy, and outlaws any further court cases.

2016:

● Margaret Spencer, the mother of an adult disabled man, is awarded $200,000 compensation by the High Court for discrimination, for the years the Ministry of Health refused to pay her for her work.

2017:

● The Human Rights Commission complaints of seven families are bundled together as the King case, and put forward as a compensation case to the High Court.

2018:

● Shane Chamberlain and his mum Diane Moody win their case, which argued the Ministry of Health had wrongly assessed the number of hours Diane should be paid for looking after Shane.

2018:

● King plaintiffs speak out about their case, and call for Part 4A to be repealed.

2018:

● Government announces its intention to repeal Part 4A and make a new Funded Family Care policy.