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Myth-busting: ACC and injuries
Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, October 28th, 2009 - 20 comments
One of the Right’s silly myths, never backed up by any facts, is that not privatising ACC leads to more injuries. The logic (and it’s a logic only the money-obsessed could come up with) is that private workplace insurers would charge higher premiums for dangerous workplaces and lower premiums for safer workplaces – this would […]
Remember who they’re fighting for
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, October 28th, 2009 - Comments Off on Remember who they’re fighting for
This memo was sent by the Insurance Council to its members in 2005 but it may as well have been sent this week. Because as sure as National was keeping its agenda secret and having clandestine talks with the insurers about privatising ACC in 2005 they will be having the same talks under wraps while […]
Labour stands up for ACC
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, October 24th, 2009 - 14 comments
So – Labour have stood up for ACC. Bravo! History repeats. In the last year of the last National government (1999) they flogged off the profitable parts of ACC cover to their mates in the insurance industry (“opened ACC to competition”). The incoming Labour government reversed those changes and re-instated ACC as the sole provider […]
National announces ACC privatisation
Written By: - Date published: 5:26 pm, October 22nd, 2009 - 59 comments
National is going to privatise ACC. As part of the deal for support on its ACC cuts and levy hikes from the Maori Party and ACT, it will be privatising ACC’s Work Account (the part paid by employers for workplace accidents). First, there will be a perfunctory report provided by the ACC Stocktake Group, a […]
Turia on ACC
Written By: - Date published: 3:50 pm, October 21st, 2009 - 8 comments
Here’s Tariana Turia on Q&A last Sunday, responding to a question from Guyon Espiner about National’s plans for ACC: I’m very concerned and one of the reasons why I’m really concerned is that there’s been a lot of talk about privatising the work account. Now the face of it is that’s the only account that […]
Maori Party supports foreign business over working Maori
Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, October 21st, 2009 - 26 comments
It is a reflection of the schizophrenic nature of the Maori Party that one day they’re professing to care about poor Maori who are apparently missing out on their ACC entitlements and the next day they’re backing privatisation of ACC, which would lead to even worse outcomes for those Maori, because it might be a […]
EMA busts another privatisation myth
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, October 20th, 2009 - 32 comments
When asked to explain why they want to start privatising a world-leading institution like ACC, National and ACT tend to fall back on the excuse that it will somehow lead to lower ACC premiums. Of course, the international experience and every independent report that’s been done shows the exact opposite, but they can always point […]
Another day, another sell-out
Written By: - Date published: 3:40 pm, October 20th, 2009 - 19 comments
The Maori Party has decided it will support National’s changes to ACC despite Tariana Turia just two days ago saying she was “very concerned” about those changes. Here’s their explanation for their latest flip-flop: “We know that Maori have consistently had less access to ACC entitlements than other groups, under existing legislation. While this Bill […]
ACC fracas ‘truly dumb’
Written By: - Date published: 2:51 pm, October 20th, 2009 - 5 comments
Tim Hazledine, a professor of economics at the University of Auckland, has a nice piece in the Herald today that lays out just how absurd National’s spin about the ACC “blowout” really is. Suppose you and your spouse are in charge of a family of, say, three young children. That means you are legally responsible […]
Take a stand Phil
Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, October 20th, 2009 - 32 comments
John Dalley makes a good point in the comments section of our last ACC post: About now would be a good time for Labour to state publicly that they will do away with private insurers when next in government. I say absolutely right. It would throw a spanner in any plans to privatise the ACC […]
Big bucks for Aussie insurers in ACC privatisation
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, October 20th, 2009 - 9 comments
It seems certain National will begin the privatisation of ACC starting with opening the work account to private competition. As happened in 1998, private insurers will cream off large and low-risk employers with loss-leading special deals to gain market share, leaving the taxpayer to shoulder the burden of the rest, and put up premiums later. […]
ACC protests send clear message to NACT
Written By: - Date published: 9:13 pm, October 19th, 2009 - 8 comments
Today hundreds of people around the country marched against the cuts to sexual abuse counselling due to be implemented by ACC next week. The protests were widely covered by the media, with excellent coverage by both TVNZ and 3News. I was at the Auckland march where a couple of hundred people turned up to rally […]
Told you so: Right pushes ACC privatisation
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, October 19th, 2009 - 57 comments
Last Thursday, Colin Espiner was mocking all of us who said that National and other rightwing groups were trying to create a sense of crisis around ACC to soften us up for privatisation: “That somehow this is all just a VRWC* to derail the ACC, lower public confidence in it, and then sell it to […]
Smith still lying with numbers
Written By: - Date published: 12:03 pm, October 19th, 2009 - 7 comments
Last week, David Parker asked Nick Smith what the “whole-of-life cost to ACC of all new claims” for the last year were. Smith’s answer surprised everyone because it made no sense. He told us that claims made last year alone would cost $7 billion over their lifes. If that were really so, ACC’s liablities would […]
Woodhouse: ACC not in crisis
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, October 19th, 2009 - 13 comments
A fascinating interview with the Sir Owen Woodhouse in the Herald today. Sir Owen has led an amazing life – after helping supply Yugoslav partisans fighting the Nazis, he rose through the ranks of our judiciary becoming a Privy Councillor and President of the Court of Appeal, and is still going strong at 93. His most enduring achievement, […]
Protests against cuts to sexual abuse cover
Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, October 18th, 2009 - Comments Off on Protests against cuts to sexual abuse cover
[Pulling the following comment from Toad in Open Mike up to the front page.] If you are in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin tomorrow, please try to find the time to support the protests against ACC’s proposed cuts to sexual abuse cover and therapy. There are protests organised for this Monday 19th October: AUCKLAND: Meet […]
ACC a good investor
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, October 16th, 2009 - 40 comments
The other day, John Key said “ACC’s investment portfolio had not been working well”. Now, if there’s one golden rule regarding people with power it’s never take what they say for granted. And that’s never been more true than with this Prime Minister. So, I took a look at ACC’s annual report (Colin Espiner et […]
It’s called politics, Colin
Written By: - Date published: 4:11 am, October 16th, 2009 - 30 comments
Colin, I think we need to discuss your work: the conspiracy theory peddled by Labour and the EPMU (i.e. Labour) that somehow this is all just a VRWC to derail the ACC, lower public confidence in it, and then sell it to the highest (or any) bidder just doesn’t ring true for me. Don’t you […]
Fiasco after fiasco
Written By: - Date published: 4:23 pm, October 15th, 2009 - 33 comments
It seems National has a problem with numbers. First they fudge the numbers for ACC so they can claim a “blow out” and now they can’t even get the numbers to pass their legislation. You heard correctly. After all of that hoopla about how ACC is in crisis and how they need to strip entitlements […]
Spin-busting: ACC rises and cuts
Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, October 15th, 2009 - 38 comments
The Herald’s editorial today largely reads like it was written by Nick Smith and John Judge, so let’s use it as the basis for some spin-busting (my source is the ACC annual report unless otherwise mentioned): opponents say any change would be a prelude to privatisation. Yet all this exaggeration could not disguise the fact […]
Nick Smith plays dumb
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, October 15th, 2009 - 14 comments
Answering the question you wish you were asked rather than the one you were is a common PR tactic (to a point) when speaking to the media. Watching a cabinet minister try the same trick in parliament really starts to unveil this government’s contempt for democracy (though this example is perhaps not quite as bad […]
The Independent on National’s ACC agenda
Written By: - Date published: 11:26 am, October 15th, 2009 - 5 comments
Very good editorial on ACC in The Independent today. The article’s offline, but it’s quite clear about why the Government is trying to manufacture a crisis over the financial position of ACC: ACC currently collects sufficient levies to meet each year’s claims – it has levy revenue of $4.1b in the 2009 June year, compared […]
March against ACC cuts
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, October 14th, 2009 - 5 comments
From October 27th, survivors of sexual violence will only be eligible for ACC funded counselling if they are first diagnosed with a mental illness. Firstly, you don’t need to have a mental illness to need a few counselling sessions after going through a traumatic and disempowering experience. Why should a survivor miss out on services […]
Oldest trick in the book
Written By: - Date published: 5:49 am, October 14th, 2009 - 7 comments
How do you get someone to change their mind about something they like? Simple, find one negative element to it (nothing is perfect) and blow it into a major issue. Nick Smith knows how to do this, he’s built a career on it. Now, he’s trying to make compensation payments to criminals the issue in […]
We still pay, ACC or no ACC
Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, October 13th, 2009 - 25 comments
Labour’s David Parker has been a bit slow reacting to National’s latest attack on ACC but now he’s in play he has a killer point to make: if ACC cover is cut, the costs of what was paid for by ACC will still have to be paid for by society somehow. The treatments and lost […]
A quick question
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 pm, October 12th, 2009 - 26 comments
Do any health insurance companies fully fund long-term claims in the way ACC is being asked to?
First, manufacture a crisis…
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 12th, 2009 - 49 comments
The first thing you need to understand is ACC is not spending more money than it is taking in through levies. It is not going bust. It is not ‘making a loss’ despite what Nick Smith writes and the media faithfully repeats, but, then, they got taken in by this same trick six months ago. […]
“Blow out” more like Blowup
Written By: - Date published: 1:29 pm, October 10th, 2009 - 11 comments
Readers of a certain age will remember an Antonioni film called Blowup. The title conceit involves a photographer who finds what appears to be a dead body in one of his photographs but when he blows the photo up to find out more all that happens is the resolution degrades. The more closely he looks […]
Talleys: Corporate scum
Written By: - Date published: 2:14 pm, April 6th, 2009 - 41 comments
I’ve long been of the opinion that the Talley family, owners of the Talleys food empire, are a corrosive force in this country who have a complete contempt for their workforce, the public and our democratic institutions. Sure enough, they’re at it again. NZPA reports: The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) plans to call […]
National dumps worker reps from ACC board
Written By: - Date published: 5:49 pm, March 31st, 2009 - 13 comments
Nick Smith announced National’s changes to the ACC board this afternoon. As expected they’ve kicked Wayne Butson and Ross Wilson off the board, meaning ACC no longer has any worker representation. In their place are a mixed bag of company directors and consultants headed by an affiliate member of the Business Roundtable. This isn’t just […]
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Campaigners for free dental care say the cost of doing nothing is outstripping what it would cost to fund the system. ...1 day ago
- PM Christopher Luxon admits he needs to ‘work harder on corporate speak’ after ‘cu...
In the latest episode of 30 with Guyon Espiner, the PM concedes he "could have expressed myself better" after calling voters "customers". ...2 days ago
- Introducing Travel Week on The Spinoff
Exploring the highs and lows of travelling, from local buses to faraway elopements. Nothing is more universally suggested, yearned for and celebrated as a life experience than travel. People who have travelled love to talk about how it changed their lives or opened their eyes or was just the most ...2 days ago
- So what is ‘realistic’, minister?
Opinion: Climate Change Minister Simon Watts is in an interesting position. He knows we’re 100 million tonnes of CO2e short of meeting the emissions reductions target we signed up to at the Paris COP in 2015. Known as our Nationally Determined Contribution, this target was designed to keep global temperature ...2 days ago
- Katherine Mansfield, the ballet
Katherine Mansfield had intimate relationships with men and women but her close friendship with Maata Mahupuku continues to intrigue. Royal New Zealand Ballet choreographer Loughlan Prior features this connection in his ballet Woman of Words.Prior says he would love to hang out with Mansfield. His idea of a good time would be a night out ...2 days ago
- Nato, NZ security threats linked – ambassadors
European diplomats say cooperative security is the only way forward for them and the Indo-Pacific The post Nato, NZ security threats linked – ambassadors appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Daily crossword, Monday 4 November
The post Daily crossword, Monday 4 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Foreign affairs boss makes privacy complaint against Israel group
With tensions high over the war in Gaza, NZ’s top diplomat says his staff must be protected from online harassment The post Foreign affairs boss makes privacy complaint against Israel group appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Roadside drug testing is coming, again
The Government’s roadside drug testing scheme is a step closer to being rolled out, but drug experts are warning it could penalise people using prescription medicines and force them to use other, undetectable and potentially more dangerous substances.Under the scheme, police will be able to randomly saliva-test drivers for drug ...2 days ago
- Win a literary bathrobe
There are various ways you can get a sense of the mood of our small island nation. One of those is by wandering into a flagship designer store in Auckland to see what’s being flogged off. “What’s the vibe in Auckland right now?” I asked a store manager recently as ...2 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 4 November
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- Animal disease watchdog ditches tech upgrade, writes off $16.6M
A failed technology project has led to a $16.6M writedown and prompted a shake up of governance at farming not-for-profit Ospri The post Animal disease watchdog ditches tech upgrade, writes off $16.6M appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- View from The Hill: it’s time to put some new rules around upgrades for parliamentarians
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Qantas upgrades affair has turned from a missile targeted at Anthony Albanese to a cluster bomb hitting MPs on all sides. On Sunday, Education Minister Jason Clare took the opportunity provided by an ...2 days ago
- Albanese flags radical changes to student debt – with a 20% overall cut and drop in payment rates
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Taoty/Shutterstock Over the weekend, the Albanese government announced radical changes to student loans, which would kick in after the next federal election. Three million Australians with student debt ...2 days ago
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Democracy Now! NERMEEN SHAIKH: Israel’s deadly siege on northern Gaza has entered a 30th day. Early week, the World Health Organisation managed to deliver some medical supplies to the Kamal Adwan Hospital, but on Thursday, Israeli fighter jets bombed the hospital’s third floor, where the supplies were being stored. Al ...2 days ago
- Palau Media Council condemns lawsuit as ‘assault on press freedom’
Pacific Media Watch The Palau Media Council has condemned a political lawsuit against the publisher of the Island Times as an “assault on press freedom” with the Pacific country facing an election on Tuesday. In a statement yesterday, the council added that the lawsuit, filed by Surangel and Sons Co. ...2 days ago
- New Campaign: No More Hiding For MPs’ Expenses
This campaign is to force MPs to justify why their spending should be a state secret when almost every other area of public spending is subject to public scrutiny. ...2 days ago
- The MAGA Mindset: A sense of belonging
The North Carolina afternoon sun was taking its toll.Security had put truck trailers around the rally at Wilmington International Airport.This created a barrier against a rogue shooter, but it also had created an oven pit effect. There was no wind. The tarmac radiated heat. People were fainting.Trump was only 20 ...2 days ago
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