Damning report expected on ACC

An article from the Dominion Post by Phil Kitchin

An independent investigation into ACC, prompted by revelations of a mass privacy breach, is expected to condemn the corporation's culture and processes.
A report due out today is expected to bolster widespread criticism of ACC's repeated breaches of thousands of its clients' privacy since the mass breach was exposed by The Dominion Post. It is also expected to criticise ACC's leadership, privacy systems and the corporation's technology for dealing with highly sensitive information.
Fallout from the March privacy breach has included the resignations of Cabinet minister Nick Smith and ACC chief executive Ralph Stewart, and the departure from the corporation's board of chairman John Judge and directors John McCliskie and Rob Campbell.
The report is being made public on the same day that another by the Auditor-General's Office, on how ACC manages risk at board level, is tabled in Parliament.
Both investigations arose after an ACC client - later identified as Bronwyn Pullar - revealed she had been sent private details of 6500 fellow clients. The information contained names and details of hundreds of people from ACC's sensitive claims unit, including rape and incest victims.
In the ensuing fallout, The Dominion Post revealed that ACC grossly misrepresented what happened at a crucial December meeting between Ms Pullar, her supporter Michelle Boag, and two senior ACC managers.
In a report to ACC Minister Judith Collins, the corporation said Ms Pullar threatened at the meeting to go to the media and to withhold details of the mass breach unless she was given a two-year guaranteed benefit. The corporation laid a blackmail complaint with police.
But a tape recording of the meeting, made by Ms Pullar and provided to ACC, made a mockery of the blackmail allegations. It showed no such threats or demands were made, and that Ms Pullar was already on weekly ACC compensation. After police were provided with a copy of the recording, they dismissed the complaint, saying no offence had been disclosed.
Today's reports are not expected to end the scandal, as Ms Collins has taken defamation action against Labour MPs Trevor Mallard and Andrew Little for suggesting her office was involved in leaking an email identifying Ms Pullar as the whistleblower.
The privacy report has been compiled by former Australian federal privacy commissioner Malcolm Crompton and accountancy firm KPMG. Ms Collins has seen the draft and has said she agrees with it. Ms Pullar and Ms Boag would not comment because they said they did not yet know what was in the final report.

© 2012 Fairfax New Zealand Ltd

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7530250/Damning-report-expected-on-ACC

Mixed results in sensitive claims survey

An article from NZ Doctor by Katie Marriner

A survey of ACC sensitive claims providers generated mixed responses on how recommendations from a report to improve the service have been implemented.
Respondents were surveyed in 2010 on the 14 recommendations proposed in an independent review of the sensitive claims pathway conducted by former mental health commissioner Barbara Disley (New Zealand Doctor, 22 September 2010).
When asked how "client-centred" ACC's sensitive claims communications were at the time of the survey compared to 18 months before, 83 per cent of respondents thought they were either much better, better or somewhat better.
Most people (41 per cent) thought the 16 hours of support sessions for certain claimants "definitely" improved access for claimants in the early stage of their claim.
But more than half (55 per cent) of respondents thought ACC was not applying the definition of "mental injury" using a range of assessment tools which was the purpose of recommendation three.
Most respondents (34 per cent) said on-going professional development is the most important thing ACC could do to improve the quality of the service.
Of the 188 people that responded to the survey, most (36 per cent) were counsellors. Psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists were among the other respondents.
All of the survey results are available here.

http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/news/2012/august-2012/20/mixed-results-in-sensitive-claims-survey.aspx

ACC sensitive claims provider survey results

An article from ACC

The results of the ACC Sensitive Claims Provider Survey on progress towards implementing the recommendations of the 2010 independent review of the sensitive claims clinical pathway are now available:

ACC Sensitive Claims Provider Survey Results (PDF 214K)

Thank you to all those providers who took the time to complete the survey.

http://www.acc.co.nz/news/WPC113455

Question to the Prime Minister

5. Dr Russel Norman (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime Minister: Does he agree with the statement made by the Hon Bill English, in relation to the release of Natasha Fuller’s private details by his Social Development Minister, that, “People who enter into public debate are welcome to do so … and should provide their full information to the public”?



Hon Gerry Brownlee (Leader of the House) on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes.
Dr Russel Norman: Does the Prime Minister agree with the director of the Office of Human Rights Proceedings that Paula Bennett breached the Privacy Act when she released Natasha Fuller’s private details without her permission?
Hon Gerry Brownlee: In fact, there has not been a finding that the Minister Paula Bennett breached the complainant’s privacy.
Dr Russel Norman: Does that mean that he supports Paula Bennett’s decision to reserve the right to release other people’s private details without their consent in the future “depending on the circumstances”, and is this now Government policy?
Hon Gerry Brownlee: No.
Dr Russel Norman: Will the Prime Minister direct other Ministers to follow the Privacy Act and not release private information without the consent of the people concerned?
Hon Gerry Brownlee: Ministers do, every day, follow the provisions of the Privacy Act and many others as well.
Dr Russel Norman: When Taleni Lafo entered the public debate about the state of Housing New Zealand Corporation homes, claiming hers was making her children sick, under what circumstances would he consider it appropriate for Ministers responsible for the Inland Revenue Department, social development, or housing to access her personal details about herself and her family and make them public?
Hon Gerry Brownlee: The first expectation would be that the Minister investigated the circumstances and remedied the problem.
Dr Russel Norman: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question asked about the circumstances under which it would be appropriate to release the information. The Minister talked about what they should do in the first instance. He did not address the question at all.
Mr Speaker: I think the member has got a reasonable point there. I invite him to repeat his question.
Dr Russel Norman: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When Taleni Lafo entered the public debate about the state of Housing New Zealand Corporation homes, under what circumstances would the Prime Minister consider it appropriate for Ministers to access her personal details and those of her family, and make these details public?
Hon Gerry Brownlee: That is a hypothetical question, and I am not answering a hypothetical question.
Dr Russel Norman: When sexual abuse survivors criticise Government plans to cut back ACC for sensitive claims, under what circumstances would the Prime Minister support the Minister for ACC accessing the survivors’ personal files, and releasing their private, personal details to the media?
Hon Gerry Brownlee: This is once again a highly hypothetical question. The member can go on all afternoon trying to put forward these alarming situations in a hypothetical sense. They cannot and will not be answered.
Dr Russel Norman: Are there any circumstances in which it is acceptable for a Minister of the Crown to go to the Government files and access the personal, private details of a member of the public, and release those details without consent in order to make political gain?
Hon Gerry Brownlee: I have to say, once again, he is asking for the answer to a question that poses hypothetical situations. What I can say is that when it comes to people like Stewart Murray Wilson, the public expect those details to be in the domain. Therefore, it is a very difficult question to answer specifically.
Dr Russel Norman: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked for, basically, a policy guideline. What is the Prime Minister’s policy for guiding Ministers on releasing this information?
Mr Speaker: The member actually asked, if I recollect correctly, whether there are any circumstances under which such information might be accessed and released. In answering it, it appeared the Minister indicated that perhaps there might be some, depending on the circumstances. That seemed to be the answer the Minister gave, because he seemed to cite a situation where that might be a desirable thing to do. It is totally the Minister’s right to answer how he sees fit, but it was certainly an answer. He indicated that there may be some circumstances.
Dr Russel Norman: Does the Prime Minister accept that having a Government that releases the private information of people who oppose Government policy—information that is available only to the State—is an approach that silences dissent, chills dissent in a democratic society, and is not acceptable in a democratic and free country?
Hon Gerry Brownlee: Well, quite clearly by the long list of examples the member has given this afternoon, that is not the case.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1208/S00247/questions-and-answers-august-16.htm

Wellington Rape Crisis forced to cut services

A press release from the Green Party

Government must step in to protect Wellington Rape Crisis as it is forced to cut services to four days a week, the Green Party said today.
"Despite its client contacts doubling in the last year, Wellington Rape Crisis today announced they will be closing their doors one day a week,” said Green Party women's affairs spokesperson Jan Logie.
“Sexual abuse support and counselling are essential services because sexual violence is such a big problem in New Zealand. Counselling and support services are vital to healing and recovery from sexual abuse,” said Ms Logie.
Services that support survivors from disclosure to recovery reduce mental health impacts, improve well-being and assist people to reclaim their roles in their families and communities.
“The 2009 Taskforce for Action Report on Sexual Violence recommended immediate funding increases for services such as Wellington Rape Crisis. The funding increases never happened and we are now seeing agencies having to close their doors.
"The National Government’s ACC ‘funding crisis’ means that money spent on delivering counselling treatment to those who need it the most has halved and currently 80 percent of sensitive claims are on hold.
“And on top of that, funding from the Ministry of Social Development is being ‘prioritised’ to exclude adult survivors despite this being the largest group seeking support.
“Sexual abuse services are not just needed in good economic times. This Government seems to think they’re optional, maybe because the stigma means a mass protest is unlikely,” Ms Logie said.
Individuals and organisations can find out more about supporting Wellington Rape Crisis at www.wellingtonrapecrisis.org.nz.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1208/S00176/wellington-rape-crisis-forced-to-cut-services.htm