22 Feb 2000

Greens welcome Govt. support for ACC Bill changes

The Green Party has welcomed Government assurances that the ACC bill will be amended to better serve the self employed and farmers.

"These changes will hopefully provide a guaranteed level of compensation irrespective of annual tax returns," Enterprise and Employment Spokesperson Sue Bradford said today. "Also farmers will be able to insure for replacement labour."

Ms Bradford said, immediately after a Green Party caucus meeting today which focussed on ACC, that the party had decided to support the ACC bill. But the party was adamant that some changes would have to be made.

"People need to be reassured that while we support a state-run ACC system we are against going back to the old ACC bureaucracy and all its problems," she said.

"We are also happy that the Government is promising to drastically reduce the case-load of the state-run compensation system in the transition period, so that both workers and employers can receive a professional service."

Sue Bradford MP x6720 Paul Bensemann, Press Secretary x6679, 021 214 2665

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