Speaker rejects McCully complaint
The Labour ACC spokesperson Ruth Dyson has welcomed the decision of the Speaker to reject Murray McCully's breach of privilege complaint.
"The Minister was playing petty politics, because he doesn't like criticism of his privatisation of ACC.
"There was no substance at all to his complaint. The young blind woman, her ACC case manager and her employer were told that the quotes for workplace insurance premiums were so high because of the employee's blindness.
"It was legitimate to raise their concerns in the media and in Parliament. Despite the concerted efforts of the Minister and the Insurance Council to discredit the information, the fact remains that the young woman was forced to become self-employed, in order to continue working as a masseuse.
"The original quotes to the employer were as I described them in Parliament. She then received lower quotes after removing the blind woman from her staff. Mr McCully has omitted that vital fact from his vitriolic but pathetic attack.
"I will continue to highlight the inequities resulting from the ACC reforms," Ruth Dyson said.