Focus on ACC

Bikers who roared onto parliament's forecourt in November protesting about ACC levy hikes are coming back, this time campaigning for others they say are being hurt by changes to the scheme.

The motorcycle levy went up after their November protest but not by nearly as much as ACC had recommended to the government, and the bikers claimed victory.

Now they have teamed up with the ACC Futures Coalition for a February 16 rally.

"In November we were chanting `who is next' and now we know," says bikers organiser Brent Hutchison.

"It is the worker in the dangerous job, the seriously injured person who is forced off ACC weekly compensation on to a benefit, the victim of sexual abuse, the workers who is forced to use up all their holiday pay before being entitled to full weekly compensation."

ACC Futures Coalition spokesman Glenn Barclay says New Zealanders didn't want the scheme cut back and privatised.

"A privatised scheme will be more expensive, less reliable and less able to address system-wide issues such as injury prevention," he says.

The government has said it is not going to privatise ACC.

The bikers will head to parliament at noon on February 16 while others will march from Westpac Trust stadium.

"Our message is that ACC works for all Kiwis and we won't let the Government rip us off," Barclay says.

TVNZ

Comments (1)

Show/hide comments

Show/hide comment form