Prime Minister John Key has twice sought assurances from ACC Minister Judith Collins that she was not behind the release of private details about ACC claimant Bronwyn Pullar.© 2012 Fairfax NZ News
Mr Key said yesterday he was "utterly convinced" the leak did not come from Ms Collins or her office and he had no reason to question her assurances. But he revealed that he had "directly asked her the question on two occasions" as the row over how Ms Pullar's name got into the public arena intensifies.
"She has absolutely assured me that it didn't come from her office and I've got no reason at all to question her."
Former ACC minister Nick Smith was forced to resign from the Cabinet last week in the fallout over a series of leaks involving Ms Pullar after it emerged he had intervened in her case despite an apparent conflict of interest over their close friendship.
Last night, Ms Collins contacted Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff to discuss a possible probe into the source of a leaked email detailing a meeting involving Ms Pullar and ACC staff. The email was written by former National Party president Michelle Boag, who was at the ACC meeting with Ms Pullar.
Ms Collins said she would welcome Ms Pullar putting in a complaint to the privacy commissioner "because I would like to have this matter dealt with".
A spokeswoman for Ms Shroff said it was possible that an inquiry could be started without a complaint being laid.
Yesterday, Ms Collins rejected any suggestion of involvement in the email being leaked and shifted attention to ACC. Ms Collins said Ms Boag's email was sent to herself and one staff member.
"I did not send it to anyone else. My staff member sent it to the chief executive of ACC and the chairman of the board, as I requested her to. It was not sent anywhere else."
Chairman John Judge, who Ms Collins confirmed had been summoned to the Beehive on Monday over concerns about ACC privacy breaches, did not respond to questions last night.
But Ms Collins said he had told her he did not know the source of the leak. Mr Judge had been "quite forthright", she said.
Chief executive Ralph Stewart has also given Ms Collins an assurance the information did not come from him or his staff.
However, Ms Collins said she was "not at all satisfied" with privacy systems at ACC after revelations that it had accidentally sent a spreadsheet with information about 6748 ACC clients to Ms Pullar last year.
"I'm not satisfied in terms of the overall privacy but I'm not going to accuse anybody of leaking information because that might well be defamatory," Ms Collins said.
Ms Boag said she was not responsible for the leak. However, she would not lay a complaint.
"I'm a busy girl. I've been in Wellington working all day for a living. I don't have time to dwell all day on these things.
"The ball now is in ACC's court. I will see what they will do," Ms Boag said.
Labour Party deputy leader Grant Robertson said Ms Collins had "hung her own board chairman out to dry in a desperate act of self-preservation".
"A full, independent inquiry into this whole sorry saga is not only called for but should be a priority."
Former Labour government minister Lianne Dalziel was forced to resign as immigration minister after denying she was behind a leak that was later revealed as coming from her office.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6648878/Key-seeks-pledges-on-ACC-mystery
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