Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) will have a new regular review scheme aiming to improve the system's approach to women, Māori, Pasifika and disabled people.
Marking the 50-year anniversary of the passing of the ACC legislation today, Minister for ACC Carmel Sepuloni said it had at that time been a revolutionary change unique to New Zealand, but it now needed modernising.
She said a new framework would be used to review the list of job-related illnesses ACC covered, taking into account gender and advances in understanding about how diseases impact different population groups.
"We know that for various reasons women, Māori, Pacific and disabled people don't receive the same support through the scheme, despite paying the same percentage of their wages and salary in levies as everyone else," she said.
"This framework will guide a fresh look at what occupational diseases should be covered in the year 2022 and beyond."
It follows changes to the law which expanded cover to include birth injuries.
Sepuloni said the changes were being driven by advice from the International Labour Organisation.
"We are taking into consideration workforces that may be more feminised than others, where women may be more represented.
"The legislation was written 50 years ago and the workforce has changed, so we need to make sure that we're modernising the provisions by ACC."
The minister said she would not pre-empt any decisions about diseases, including Long Covid, that might be added to the list, noting she was not a medical specialist.
The framework would continue to be used into the future, with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) assigned to assess whether a review is needed every five years.
The framework would aim to:
- Assess how well the legislation reflects current clinical and epidemiological knowledge
- Ensure the review is easy to understand
- Ensure transparency and consistency in the review, including an evaluation of the framework against its objectives once recommendations are implemented
- Keep ACC's existing coverage consistent, not narrowing or expanding the scope of coverage
If MBIE recommended a review after its five-yearly assessment, it would then put out a document for consultation, including supporting research. It would also carry out a review of the latest scientific evidence and commission a report from independent medical experts.
The minister would then use the feedback provided to seek Cabinet's permission to consult on a range of suggested changes with groups including Māori, disabled people, unions, businesses and medical experts, before seeking to put changes suggested into the law through an Order in Council.