New Compensation Bill ‘crabbed caution’

Press, 20 September 1982, Page 2

New Compensation Bill ‘crabbed caution’

Parliamentary reporter

“Crabbed caution" was how the new Accident Compensation Amendment Bill was described by Mr G. W. R. Palmer (Lab., Christchurch Central) in Parliament last week. The bill was not the unmitigated disaster the 1980 amendment bill had been, he said. The Government had quite rightly decided not to proceed with that bill, but some highly objectionable features of it remained in the new bill.

A real opportunity to provide a bold set of changes that would have improved the scheme markedly had been squandered and lost. Mr Palmer said.

This was a prosaic, crabbed, cautious bill, designed to hold and hobble what had been pioneering legislation. In a bill of this nature some vision and drive was required; this bill contained, no creativity or flair. The social purposes of the legislation — accident prevention. rehabilitation and compensation — were being lost sight of in the bill, Mr Palmer said.

Ideas disliked?

The Government no longer wanted to listen, so did not want a separate Commission for the Future, said Mr D. F. Caygill (Lab.. St Albans). Seven years ago. when the commission had almost formed a separate policy among many National Party policies, there had been no talk of the commission’s being -"experimental" or of the Planning Act’s being reviewed after five years. There had been no talk

that for five years the commission would exist under increasingly less Government support, he said. Finally, the Government could not stand the commission any longer, and abolished it. The question needed to be asked — why had this happened? It had happened because the Government had not liked. the ideas for the future that the commission had put forward. Changes deplored Changes to the functions and powers of the Planning Council were subtly worded in the New Zealand Planning Bill, said Mr P. T. E. Woolaston (Lab.. Nelson). The bill did three things: it altered the councils membership. it changed the council’s powers and functions, and it abolished the Commission for the Future. The council would have a 50 per cent membership from departmental officials or Government members of Parliament, he said.' This reflected on the council’s independence.

Health care

Family policy in New Zea

land at present was neither particularly visible nor particularly coherent, said Mrs Ann Hercus (Lab.. Lyttelton). New Zealand earlier abandoned the "upstairs-down-stairs” health-care system of the 1930 s where access to good health care had depended either on ability to pay or patronising charity. Now there was evidence in 1982 that the cost of visiting the family doctor was financial agony, a burden to many

families, just as it had been in the 19305. she said.

Since 1941, general practitioners had been Slate subsidised. but the relative contribution of that State subsidy to the consultancy fee had been eroded. Samoa bill

The Western Samoa Citizenship Bill accurately reflected the expectations and the relationship of the two countries, said Mr P. R. Burdon (Nat.. Fendalton). Justice delayed would have meant that injustice was done. The Government had acted with the necessary haste to make a fair and reasonable decision in the respective interests of all parties, he said. Of all the accusations made, probably the most unfortunate had been that the bill was "racist." The use of that word was perhaps the most insulting slur that anyone could cast in New Zealand society today, Mr Burdon said. Jobs policy

The Government was committed to a programme of

ensuring resources based on long-lasting and soundly based employment, said Mr D. L. Kidd (Nat., Marlborough). That perhaps did not produce results al quite the speed that the Labour Opposition wanted, and the Government was criticised for that. But surely if there was anything that was long-term, soundly based, and looking out into a responsible, satisfying future, it was the Government’s energy policy, he said.