Media Publications

A national ''Disability Matters'' conference aims to make the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities an everyday reality in New Zealand. Dunedin lawyer and ACC researcher Warren Forster made that point in Dunedin yesterday on the first main day of the conference. For many people in New Zealand, ''human rights under the convention are more of a nice idea than an everyday thing'', Mr Forster said.

Lawyers and advocacy groups for injured people are demanding the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) be transparent about its computer model which predicts how long a client will use its services. They said they were concerned that the model was based on getting people off ACC, instead of helping them. ACC said it had been using the system, known as a survival analysis model, for three years.

ACC is being accused of using secret computer software to predict how long its clients will be on the books. The software was built using the private information of thousands of ACC clients without notice, and potentially without consent.

A new report into the Accident Compensation Corporation has found the number of people having their claims denied could be as high as 300,000 a year - that's more than triple the official figure. Kathryn Ryan speaks to the lead author of the report, Warren Forster, who says it's virtually impossible for ordinary people to understand the complex legal tests used by ACC to decide whether to fund treatment and compensation.