David Parker

The Government's treatment of ACC motorcycle levies is symptomatic of an increasing user-pays approach which is picking off groups of New Zealanders one by one, says Labour's ACC spokesperson David Parker.

"Today's levy announcement also confirms what Labour has been saying all along. That while ACC levy increases will be hard on people's pockets, they are not nearly as steep as the rises the Government floated.

"It embarked on its scaremongering campaign to mislead the public into accepting unpalatable changes to ACC," says David Parker.

"At the heart of these changes is a drive towards user-pays, which undermines the fundamental ACC scheme principle of community responsibility - that we all chip in and we all get covered if we have an accident.

"The National Government made a decision to change long-standing policy in the motor vehicle account and change the way motorcyclists are levied, even though they are not responsible for most of the accidents they experience.

"It is picking on elderly New Zealanders with its callous changes around hearing loss, which the Human Rights Commission (HRC) believes breaches the Human Rights Act.

"The HRC also believes measures in his ACC Bill discriminate against young people and also breach the Act," David Parker says.

"Cabinet papers from the Minister, and released by me today, show government officials have clearly advised the Government that lower income families and particularly Maori families, will be the other big losers from legislation changes.

"This is all about New Zealanders paying more for less."