Armstrong on ACC

John Armstrong writes:

Is there anything more stomach-churning for an Opposition politician than watching helplessly as the enemy demolishes the very things he or she painstakingly put in place while in Government?

Not much. I remember the awfulness when Labour removed choice from ACC and legislated to end the very successful private management of Auckland Remand Prison. It hurts.

National’s immediate priority is to turn what the party feels had become a de facto welfare agency under Labour back into an accident insurance vehicle.

The prevailing view in National is that even if it wanted to privatise elements of ACC beyond what the party has already said will be opened for competition, it is going to have to fix things first. That is going to take some time.

A long time I would say.