Andrew Little
ACC Spokesperson

4 April 2012

Labour welcomes Auditor-General’s inquiry into ACC

The inquiry by the Auditor-General into how ACC manages conflicts of interest and relationships between board members, clients and staff is an opportunity to examine the real problems plaguing the agency, says Labour’s ACC spokesperson Andrew Little.

“We welcome today’s announcement by Auditor-General Lyn Provost that she will carry out an inquiry that is focused on governance concerns at ACC that have been exposed during the public examination of a very difficult case.

“We note that while the terms of reference focus on the Board’s actions and their interaction with clients and staff, there is also a clause allowing the Auditor-General to look into ‘any other matters’ she considers desirable. Labour hopes that will include the behaviour of ministers who have been involved in this case.

“We must be able to have trust and confidence in ACC and be reassured that every client is treated equally. At the moment, it is easy to see how New Zealanders could have gained the impression from the Bronwyn Pullar saga that if you know someone from the National Party, you’ll be treated differently.

“This announcement by the Office of the Auditor-General brings the number of publicly-funded inquiries into the handling of Bronwyn Pullar’s case to five and we still believe a single high level inquiry by a QC or Judge would be more suitable,” said Andrew Little.

ENDS

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