With The National Party promising a long needed restructuring and the element of competition with the Accident Compensation Corporation, the highly inefficient government department continues to provide evidence that it should be privatised completely.
Over the last two weeks, ACC staff were exposed using taxpayer money to get pet grooming for spot and fluffy and day spas and manicures for themselves, a woman who lost all her limbs in a work accident is only allowed a maximum NZ$117,000.00 payout for loss of income, even though she would have made that sum in just one year, and the latest story to hit the media, again, cements ACC as the dinosaur that most know it as.
Mike Gibson, the man caught on video lifting boulders, mowing lawns and doing all sorts of work but officially unable to because of a bad back and getting ACC compensation for it, has not yet been prosecuted by the department and doesn't look likely to anytime soon.
According to reports this individual has been collecting ACC fraudulently for 20 years or more but ACC seem uninterested even with the mounting evidence against him.
These are only three stories that have hit the media, there are thousands more like them that havent. The Mike Gibsons of this world are ripping off the taxpayer and ACC are allowing them to, and the limbless woman not getting what they deserve are the just tip of a well manicured finger.
All this and ACC staff have the best looking pets and finger nails in the land, all courtesy of you and me.
All good reasons to privatise and ACC agrees with that too. The insurance scheme that covered ACC staff for pet grooming etc was provided by Southern Cross.
An efficient, well run private insurance company.
Related Political Animal reading
Labour backs ACC rorts
ACC staff spending on day spas and pet grooming
c Political Animal 2008
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