National holds line over ACC policy

National continues to deny it is withholding details of its ACC policy from the public.

Labour returned to the theme of a hidden agenda yesterday after it released an Insurance Council memo, revealed in the Herald, that says details were kept out of National's ACC policy announcement last week after consultation with the council.

Written by council chief executive Chris Ryan to insurance company bosses, the memo welcomed National's plan and said: "The details of the policy have been deliberately kept out of the announcement after consultation with the Insurance Council."

Prime Minister Helen Clark told the Herald on Wednesday that the memo, leaked to Labour, showed National appeared to have a secret agreement with the insurance industry to withhold details of the policy to privatise ACC.

"New Zealanders need to be told what the insurance industry stands to gain and what ordinary Kiwis stand to lose as a result of this collusion between National and the Insurance Council."

National's ACC spokeswoman, Katherine Rich, said again last night that she did not know what Mr Ryan was talking about.

"When you read it, it's a pretty simple policy. ACC in many ways is going to carry on as usual except some aspects of the ACC business will be opened to choice.

"There are no deals, no agreements. There is no information that has been withheld."

She contacted Mr Ryan yesterday to state her position that there were no deals or agreements.

"I really don't know why he would write something like that."

Mr Ryan said yesterday that he did not believe National had further details to release, denying any secret agreement.

"We would have liked more detail if we could on the nature of the marketplace. The Nats are unable to provide it to us simply because they need to go to a coalition partner after any election is won and finalise those details."

The memo also said NZ First was "on side" with the policy, although party leader Winston Peters said yesterday that he knew nothing about it.

On the campaign trail yesterday, Helen Clark said it seemed inconceivable the policy had been arrived at without substantial funding to the National Party from the insurance industry.

Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said the memo confirmed that National's aim was to benefit Australian-owned insurance companies regardless of the effect on workers.

- additional reporting by Ainsley Thomson, Ruth Berry