ACC board chairman John Judge has been called to the Beehive to discuss the leaking of private information about ACC client and complainant Bronwyn Pullar.© 2012 Fairfax NZ News
ACC Minister Judith Collins this morning appeared reluctant to express full confidence in Judge, although she stopped short of blaming him for what appears to have been a breach of Pullar's privacy.
Pullar came to the media's attention after it was revealed ACC had accidentally sent the details of 6000 claimants to a third party.
She was named as the recipient of the breach and revealed she had been supported by former National Party president Michelle Boag in a meeting with ACC over her case.
Collins this morning said that information had "certainly not" come from her office.
Asked this morning if she had confidence in Judge, Collins said: "Look, I've got a lot of confidence in the work that he's done in the board, particularly around the financial state of ACC. But look, I'm very concerned about the privacy issues and I spoke to him last night, had him in my office to talk about this issue. I'm very concerned about the privacy issue and I expect it to be dealt with."
Collins said she would not "speculate" over the source of the leak.
"People can speculate all they like but I'm also aware that it didn't come from my office and it didn't come from me - I'm 100 per cent certain."
The information had come "from the spoke" so there were "possibilities" about how it had emerged.
"If Ms Pullar thinks her privacy has been breached, then I suggest she makes a complaint to the privacy commissioner and have it investigated," Collins said.
Labour's deputy leader Grant Robertson said there were only a few ways the information could have been leaked and Collins needed to answer questions. He had no details but Labour would be asking questions in Parliament.
"We need to find out more about how information about Ms Pullar found it's way into the public arena."
There were only a few ways the information could have got out, Robertson said.
"Judith Collins needs to answer very clearly whether her or her office had any role in accessing that information or in how that information made its way into the public arena."
Told Collins had denied the leak came form her office, Robertson asked "who is it then?"
Labour wanted a full inquiry into ministerial conduct, the conduct of the ACC board and the privacy issues.
The inquiry was bigger than what the Privacy Commissioner or police could look at and the auditor-general should be involved, he said.
"The impression New Zealanders are going to get is that if you know somebody in the National Party, you get treated differently by ACC and there's a word for that, it's cronyism."
It was still cronyism, regardless of the outcome, he said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6644194/ACC-chairman-called-to-Beehive
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