Question to Minister

8. CHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour) to the Minister of Justice: Does she stand by all the answers she has given to questions asked of her to date?



Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Justice): Yes, so long as they are in context and I am not being misquoted.
Charles Chauvel: Why did she tell the House on 21 March that the current rate of breaches of police safety orders is “not anywhere near what anyone else would expect”, only to tell the Waikato Times today that legislation was needed this year to increase the penalty for such breaches, and should the House believe that there is a problem, as she told a newspaper today, or that there is not a problem, as she told the House last month?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Well, of course, I have been misquoted by the Waikato Times. What I have here is in fact an email from my office to the Waikato Times yesterday, advising it what the correct information was. It misquoted it; it has now retracted it and corrected it.
Charles Chauvel: Why did she tell the House yesterday that the inquiry by the Privacy Commissioner relates to “privacy matters in ACC and what has happened to particular emails and other documents. It is not specifically about my office”, yet when Andrew Little asked her directly last Thursday questions about her office such as “When was the email she received … from Michelle Boag concerning Bronwyn Pullar … first printed by … her office?” she declined to answer, on the ground that the matter was before the Privacy Commissioner, and should the House believe what she said yesterday, or last Thursday, or both, or neither?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Obviously I am right on this matter, because Mr Little’s question was regarding a breach of privacy that has been claimed in relation to something in March. That is part of the terms of reference of the Privacy Commissioner’s review, so I do not know what is wrong with that.
Charles Chauvel: Why did she tell the House yesterday that as Minister of Justice she has no ministerial authority or responsibility for threatening news media and members of this House with meritless defamation proceedings, when she wrote to threaten just such proceedings last Thursday on her official letterhead, which describes her as Minister of Justice?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: This is too easy: because they are not meritless.
Charles Chauvel: How long will this Minister continue to give inconsistent answers to questions put to her, to give spurious excuses to avoid answering inconvenient questions, and to try to bully the media and members of this House via threats of meritless defamation proceedings, and does she not think that the public expects better from the Minister of Justice?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: There are four questions there, and most of them insulting. However, what I do know is that the public expects members of Parliament to have integrity and courage, and it is something that member should think about.
Rt Hon Winston Peters: Will the Minister resign if it is found that either she or someone whom she has had authority over was responsible for the leak in question?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Of course I would, because I have integrity—something that is lacking for some people. I seek the leave of the House to table the email from my office to the Waikato Times yesterday with the correct information.
Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. Document, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.
NICKY WAGNER (National—Christchurch Central): What action—[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: I apologise to the member. There is no way I can hear Nicky Wagner at the back of the House there. The previous question has now been dealt with, and I want to hear Nicky Wagner on question No. 9.
Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The only point is that as you said that, you looked this way. Actually, it was the Minister again who stimulated the interjections.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The noise I heard coming from my left prevented me from hearing Nicky Wagner, and that is what I was responding to.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1204/S00063.htm

Compo changes shock

An article from the Waikato Times by Maryanne Twentyman

An international expert on sexual abuse recovery is shocked by new ACC guidelines that require victims to be diagnosed with a mental injury to be eligible for compensation.
American Mike Lew is a world renowned psychotherapist from Boston who was in Hamilton today leading a workshop for health professionals who work with male survivors of sexual abuse. He said New Zealand's compensation system was once a world leader.
"I travel the world taking these types of workshops and ACC's enlightened stance on sexual abuse survivors was pioneering in how it supported survivors, which in turn facilitated positive growth and healing," Mr Lew said.
But ACC's new criteria were a "real tragedy that would cause tremendous suffering," he said.
It also angers Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust (MSSAT) national manager Ken Clearwater.
"I have been to international workshops with Mike (Lew) and people were blown away by ACC's stance in the past – but now the Government is getting it all wrong and my major concern is that Nick Smith and the prime minister have been given misleading information in terms of clinical pathways," Mr Clearwater said.
More than 80 doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors were taking part in today's workshop at Hamilton Gardens, where Mr Lew hopes to change attitudes about the way male survivors are supported by all health professionals.
"A lot of the pioneering work done on sexual abuse recovery was mainly by women for women – but we need to look at new models and recognise the different needs of males," Mr Lew said.
One in six males is thought to have suffered some form of sexual abuse including child sexual abuse, rape, physical violence, emotional abuse and neglect.
Mr Lew said there was a lot of "misinformation, fear and shame about what disclosure would mean" for male survivors. "People wrongly believe a boy that's abused grows up to be an abuser – but that is not true.
"Most of them grow up to be protectors, it's a small minority that go the other way" he said.
While Mr Lew works with both men and women who have been abused, he said males found it much harder to come forward.
"It's important to emphasise the strengths of male socialisation and not try and fit men into a model that doesn't fit," he said.
It was important for health professionals to create respect and safety for clients.
"After that survivors themselves can go on to do extraordinary work. I think it's important to remember that for both males and females recovery is real – all of the work they do does pay off and life does get better," he said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/3659195/Compo-changes-shock

Suicide danger in ACC delay: expert

An article from the Waikato Times by Maryanne Twentyman

A Waikato survivor of sexual abuse has been waiting seven months for ACC to determine whether he is eligible for counselling, a time frame which could have resulted in suicide, according to a Hamilton expert.
The man was recently told that his psychologist was now waiting for confirmation from ACC as to what should be written into his report, according to Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Waikato manager Mike Holloway.
"When the man contacted ACC to see what the hold-up was he was told his paperwork had been `misplaced' which isn't uncommon," Mr Holloway said.
The situation was last week inflamed when information was released about an independent ACC report that referred to "draining the swamp" in cutting back services.
The report, obtained under the the Official Information Act by Labour acting ACC spokesperson Maryan Street, said ACC had "gone too far towards customer focus" and needed to begin "tightening the gateway by reducing the level and costs of treatment provided".
"Perhaps the most disturbing and callous phrase used in the Morrison Low report was the need for ACC to `significantly cut back to essential and core services only – effectively draining the swamp'," Ms Street said.
She claimed that the report highlighted a need for ACC staff to adopt a "tough love" approach.
"The report made it clear that if staff did not turn down enough claim applications they would get the sack," Ms Street said.
But ACC chief executive Dr Jan White said that was "absolutely ridiculous and untrue.
Dr White said the phrase "draining the swamp" referred to ACC's corporate office, not clients, and was written by a consultant, not ACC.
The report and subsequent controls put in place by ACC have outraged Waikato ACC advocate Quentin Mines.
"If you were to add up the dollars that claimants take from ACC it's a tiny sum compared to where ACC does not pay out where it should," he said.
Hamilton man Bruce Gardiner, who fought ACC over compensation for emotional trauma following an incident in which a man was killed after running under the milk tanker he was driving, said the report did not surprise him.
"They (ACC) are rotten to the core and the money they save would be a drop in the bucket compared to the money they spend on lawyers to get rid of cases like mine," Mr Gardiner said.
"ACC refused to accept my situation. For me it was an accident and it cost me enormously trying to prove my point in court," Mr Gardiner said.
But Dr White said ACC was governed by legislation that determined who was covered and who was not.
"We adhere closely to that legislation and provide services to meet our responsibilities.
"Clients have access to a free and independent review process if required," she said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/3362909/Suicide-danger-in-ACC-delay-expert

Abuse victims beg Government to drop ACC plan

An article from the Waikato Times by Maryanne Twentyman

Harrowing accounts of violent sexual abuse have been revealed as victims plead with the Government not to cut their ACC entitlements.
The Waikato Times has been inundated with calls from victims who can't be identified but who say the proposed new criteria for sexual abuse cases will cost lives.
Under the new criteria, survivors will be eligible for counselling paid for by ACC only if they have been diagnosed as having a strictly defined mental injury.
One Waikato woman who was abused between the age of 4 and 15 by eight different men, mostly family members, said it was hard enough for people to seek help without being challenged about it.
"The only reason I'm still here today is that I got the help I needed through counselling," she said. "The Government needs to prevent victims getting to that point with fast intervention, not wait till they are so desperate that they are mentally ill and trying to kill themselves."
The woman, now in her 40s, fell pregnant through abuse when she was 14.
"I didn't know I was pregnant until I was six months on.
"I had the baby which was then abused at the hands of my own attackers. I was powerless to stop it as it was the only life I knew and back then it was bloody hard to get the help I desperately needed."
Years of shame, abuse, prostitution and self-harm followed as the woman struggled to "deal with her demons".
"It's incredible that ACC are now making it harder to get help. A rugby player makes a choice to play the game and if they get injured then ACC help them every step of the way ... do they think I `chose' to be abused," she questioned.
The woman has shared her story along with more than 20 others in a book to be released next year by the Child Abuse Prevention Agency.
Under the working title Hidden In Front Of Us, the book aims to educate others to recognise signs of abuse.
In another case, a Waikato father of two said his family faced constant fear and pain and he was outraged over ACC's plan to change the criteria for covering the cost of counselling for victims of sexual abuse. It had been 10 years since his daughter was a victim of serious sexual abuse and just three weeks since she last attempted suicide, prompting the man to speak out about the changes. "ACC wants the victims to be diagnosed as having a mental disorder before they will pay for counselling.
"If we didn't have that counselling I don't know where we would be," he said.
He was upset that future sexual abuse victims may fall victim again – this time at the hands of ACC.
His concerns were echoed by Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Waikato co-ordinator Mike Holloway who said victims needed support and time, not a one-off assessment.
"It can take up to six sessions with experts just to scratch the surface. There is no way victims can be assessed and labelled mentally ill when they have been through such an ordeal," Mr Holloway said.
Mr Holloway was a victim of sexual abuse for three years from the age of 9.
"I now work with victims of sexual abuse and they can trust me because I have been there and know what they go through. They can't be expected to open up to a complete stranger let alone expect to be diagnosed with a mental injury." Mr Holloway said the new criteria undermined all the work he was trying to do around education and prevention of abuse.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/2989419/Abuse-victims-beg-Govt-to-drop-ACC-plan