Why PM won’t expand ACC
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she can’t expand access to cover all those traumatised at the March 15 terror attacks without expanding access more widely.
Currently ACC covers those with direct physical injuries but not those with mental health injuries that are not work-related or the result of sexual abuse.
That means those who were traumatised at either of the Christchurch mosques two years ago where a terrorist killed 51 Muslim worshippers, are not eligible for direct payments for mental health trauma.
Ardern was pushed on why there wasn’t more support for victims by John Campbell on TVNZ’s Breakfast.
She said the Government had provided a wide range of support to victims, including immigration assistance and access to the wider welfare system for those who may not have been eligible.
Ardern also pointed to ACC as a form of compensation for physical injuries, but said there was no ‘‘bulk form of payment.’’
‘‘Our system is special. We have ACC as a form of compensation. For others, we’ve extended the eligibility of our welfare system so it can provide support too. But that means that we don’t have a form of bulk payment compensation because we have the loss of earnings replacement through ACC,’’ Ardern said.
She said changing eligibility for the March 15 victims would mean expanding coverage for the whole country.
‘‘If we were to change that we would have to change that for everyone, so that is something that has always been on our minds. ACC is very special in that it does that, but it does mean that there are other things like bulk payments that we don’t do.’’
Campbell pointed out that ACC did not cover non-workrelated
traumatic events, pointing to a statement from ACC saying it had rejected 10 claims from people who were at the mosque but not physically injured.
Ardern said this ‘‘very specific group’’ weren’t eligible for income replacement but were eligible for support through the wider health and benefit system.
‘‘It would be a very substantial change to make to ACC to alter the criteria in that way,’’ Ardern said.
The issue has been longsimmering, with lead minister for the March 15 response, Andrew Little holding a testy interview with RNZ last Friday.
The Government mooted a specific and targeted extension of ACC for the March 15 survivors in 2019, with then-ACC minister Iain Lees-Galloway bringing a paper to Cabinet.
The paper from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment argued it was possible for the Government to direct this funding as essentially a one-off, and said this was appropriate as ACC provided a higher level of support than other benefits.
Treasury was against this, arguing it created a ‘‘large risk of opening up ACC to further expansion’’, which would be costly.
Cabinet eventually decided against it.
‘‘It would be a very substantial change to make to ACC to alter the criteria in that way.’’ Jacinda Ardern