An attempt to allow ACC to take a more holistic approach to health and rehabilitation in the wake of the Christchurch terror attacks has been knocked back.
In the immediate aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings there were signs the Government recognised the gaps in the way ACC provides treatment for people who have suffered trauma and there were also clear indications the coalition was determined to close those gaps.
However, the idea appears to have fallen over, as reported by Newsroom , the proposal to extend the compensation scheme to those who received mental wounds in the March 15 attack has been knocked back by cabinet.
ACC expert and New Zealand Law Foundation Researcher, Warren Forster, says there was a lot of “political will and momentum” but then it all stopped.
He says a briefing paper from ACC in the wake of the terror attacks indicated a proposal that highlighted clear benefits at a low cost but he has no understanding why it didn’t go ahead.
“If you look at what ACC’s managed portfolios are, it’s not even .001 per cent of the return on investment each year, it’s literally the cost of this particular group of people which everyone agrees needed our help is very low,” he says.
Mr Forster says people are discriminated against based on their status giving the example that if an Uber driver had been present during the time of the shootings they would have been compensated.
“It’s not based on need, it’s based entirely on what box you fit in, and that’s not how New Zealanders do things,” he said.
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