CTU MEDIA RELEASE
02 July 2008
National's ACC plans gets murkier
News that the Australian insurance industry is lining up to profit over National's secret plans to privatise ACC means
the party must come clean on their intentions, the Council of Trade Unions said today.
"Last month we issued a 'please explain' to National, after reported comments from their spokesperson and deputy leader that they were committed to 'choice' in
accident compensation," CTU vice president Richard Wagstaff said.
"Today it was revealed that Australian insurers were being advised by brokers to get ready for a multi-billion dollar windfall
when National privatises ACC. The report's authors said that National was keeping quiet on their plans publically, but
privately they understand National will privatise the scheme."
"National needs to front up and explain why, in the face of recent evidence of the benefits of the national insurer, it
would want to scrap this asset for the benefit Australian commercial interests."
"The PricewaterhouseCoopers report on ACC was unambiguous - the benefits of state only provision of accident compensation are significant both for workers
and employers, but also non earners and sportspeople."
"It is not clear what the National Party means by choice. Do they mean the same policy as in 1998? Which accounts do
they want to open up for private insurance companies? Workers value the reliability of the current ACC scheme, and
deserve answers from the National."
"The National Party's dealings with the private insurance industry at the last election, revealed in Nicky Hager's book,
have gone unchallenged."
"We are calling on National to front up for once and for all on what their plans are for ACC."
ENDS