The ACC policies of the eight parties in Parliament are compared in the table below.
The Herald is covering all the major policy areas in a series running throughout the election campaign.
| Party | Policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | Renewed commitment to keeping ACC in public ownership. Ease pressure on business by extending date for full payment of residual levies - fees left over from late 1990s when injuries weren't fully funded - from 2014 to 2019. This will also benefit motor vehicle account and reduce vehicle registration fee by $80. | |
| National | Conduct a stock-take of ACC scheme, identifying areas of cross-subsidy or cost-shifting and underfunding of newly legislated entitlements. Investigate opening the work account (covering employees and the self-employed) to competition. Investigate setting up an independent disputes tribunal to end ACC's dual role of judge and jury on disputed claims. | |
| NZ First | Appoint an Accident Compensation Ombudsman. Offer employers 'set rate' cover for part-time and casual workers. Remove upper age limit for vocational rehabilitation. Reduce/eliminate part payments for treatment. Allow aggregation of weekly payments. Cover 'loss of potential earnings' for students. Offer reduced premiums to employers with good safety records. No cover if injured while committing a crime. | |
| Greens | Cover for all work-related gradual process injuries, diseases or infection including OOS, chemical poisoning, and mental injury. Cover when an existing condition is exacerbated by a work-krelated injury. Put onus on ACC to prove a claimant is no longer entitled. Abolish 'vocational independence' test. Pension for the permanently incapacitated. Abolish dollar-for-dollar abatement of benefits. Remove ceilings on treatment costs. | |
| Maori Party | Commitment to state ownership and provision of accident compensation and rehabilitation services. Support for amendments to law that increase access and entitlements to ACC. Greater emphasis on safety and injury prevention within ACC. Cultural competency monitoring of ACC to ensure services invest in Maori well-being. | |
| United Future | Continuation of 'no fault' regime but support for introduction of competition into accident compensation service provision. Discounted employer levies for those who undertake workplace safety regimes. Independent committee to review appeals against ACC decisions. Legal guidelines for drug and alcohol testing high-risk workplaces. Serious criminals ineligible for ACC. | |
| Act | Consumers, rather than third parties, to be principle buyers of risk insurance in competitive market. Employers and healthcare professionals to help employees make informed decisions. Hospitals and welfare institutions to compete in providing services. Government to be insurer of last resort for low income people, and to facilitate savings and adequate cover for catastrophic events. | |
| Progressive | Continuation of comprehensive accident compensation scheme administered by single provider - comprehensive scheme offers an incentive to skilled workers to come to New Zealand. Also most effective way of covering primary industries. Commitment to treating people the same, whether they are sick or victims of accidents. | |
