$19m wasted on health and safety training with 84c per dollar wasted
Health and safety training 'a waste of time' ONE News - 14/1/2014
The ACC Minister is promising to scrap a Government-funded health and safety training scheme.
Judith Collins agrees with a taxpayers' lobby group, the Taxpayers' Union, that the 10-year-old scheme has been a waste of money.
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ACC dumps workplace training scheme 3 News - 15/1/2014
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ACC to can programme after $19m spent NZ Herald - 14/1/2014
The Accident Compensation Corporation will end a health and safety training programme it said today after activist group the Taxpayers Union highlighted almost $20 million in spending on the training which generated few benefits.
The union today released documents detailing the corporation's spending since 2003 on the programme to train employees in health and safety practices.
Beginning in 2003, the money was paid to the Council of Trade Unions (CTU), employers' group Business NZ and private training provider Impac Services.
However the documents showed the $19 million spent "did little, if anything, to reduce workplace accidents", Taxpayers Union executive director Jordan Williams said.
The documents released under the Official Information Act showed reviews of the programme showed its net effect in reducing injuries were "small in size and were inconsistent in direction to be considered effective".
ACC analysis found that over the time the programme was working there was a reduction in claims even in workplaces where no safety or workplace activity has occurred.
The analysis suggested that even if the training was responsible for half of the reduction in accidents, at best only 16c in every $1 spent did any good, or in other words, 84c in every $1 was being wasted.
The documents reveal that Business NZ and the CTU worked together with ACC to create the venture and doubts about the value of the scheme had existed since at least 2008.
"Business NZ and the CTU have created a nice little earner for themselves", said Mr Williams.
"It's a disgraceful example of big corporate and union welfare chewing through taxpayer cash."
ACC spokeswoman Stephanie Melville today said the corporation decided late last year "that the training programme wouldn't be continued past its current contract".
"While the training programme did provide some value, it did not meet our level of expectations, nor deliver value for money."
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ACC cuts $1.5m in health, safety training stuff.co.nz - 14/1/2014
Accident prevention training may end Otago Daily Times - 15/1/2014
Lucrative training programmes which the Taxpayers Union says has cost ACC levy-payers $19 million since 2003 may be close to ending.
The union released documents yesterday which showed ACC knew millions of dollars paid to BusinessNZ and the Council of Trade Unions to provide health and safety training did little, if anything, to reduce workplace accidents.
The documents were obtained under the Official Information Act.
Taxpayers Union executive director Jordan Williams said the documents showed BusinessNZ and the CTU worked together with ACC to create the venture. Doubts about the value of the scheme had existed since at least 2008.
''BusinessNZ and the CTU have created a nice little earner for themselves. It's a disgraceful example of big corporate and union welfare chewing through taxpayer cash.''
ACC axing union health and safety partnership Newstalk ZB - 14/1/2014
ACC admits programme poor value Radio NZ - 14/1/2014
Click here to listen to item on Checkpoint ( 2' 39'' )
ACC programme a cosy deal, says minister Radio NZ - 15/1/2014
Click here to listen to Judith Collins on Summer Report ( 7' 08'' )
BusinessNZ rejects training scheme attacks stuff.co.nz - 16/1/2014
Business NZ has hit back at ACC Minister Judith Collins over her attacks on an ACC-funded health and safety training programme run by Business NZ, the Council Of Trade Unions and a private provider.
ACC announced this week that the $1.5 million a year programme would be canned at the end of of 2014 because it was not providing value for money.
Collins had joined criticism of the scheme, which has run since 2003, describing it as a cosy arrangement that had the hallmarks of a scam and a rort.
Business NZ today broke its silence on the issue, with a press release quoting its chief executive, Phil O'Reilly.
Minister softens over claims of rort in ACC workplace safety training NZ Herald - 17/1/2014
Judith Collins said the programme had 'all the hallmarks of a rort' which 'added very little for the money'. Photo / NZPA
... Ms Collins had spoken to CTU Secretary Peter Conway and while she wouldn't apologise "she said she will no longer use the word rort".
Ms Collins last night confirmed she had spoken with Mr Conway and had agreed to try "not to use those words".
However she maintained the scheme had been "a complete waste of money and a disgrace". Read more.