Editorial: ACC levy anger won't fade away

OPINION: There might be something faintly amusing about porky, leather-clad, middle-aged men gathering to ride big, expensive motorcycles on weekend coffee runs in an attempt to feel young and virile.

However, it is a harmless pursuit and a very popular one and, although this fraternity bears little resemblance to the outlaw gang culture that it is tenuously linked to, it is made up of individuals who like to think of themselves as having a streak of rebelliousness that might not show up during the working week but is there when the chips are down.

The motto of the Ulysses Club, for motorcyclists aged 40-plus, "Grow old disgracefully", sums it up. So it comes as no shock that this broad group, along with motorcyclists of every other type, from scooter riders to genuine gang members, have got their dander up over the proposed hikes in ACC levies. With a jump of $500 for bikes over 601cc, $250 for medium-sized bikes and $60 for mopeds up to 50cc, why wouldn't they be mad?

It is highly doubtful that the Government would have tried something similar on car drivers, because virtually every family in New Zealand would have been hit. That it is doing so to motorcyclists is quickly turning out to be a political blunder of serious proportions. The justification – that the corporation has to pay out far more to injured motorcylists than it receives in levies – only serves to make the motorcyclists angrier still.

Of course they are aware that their mode of transport is much more dangerous to the rider than driving a car. But they also know that a high proportion of motorcycle accidents are caused by other road users, that off-road motorcycles aren't registered and so don't attract ACC levies despite the relatively high number of injuries suffered by their riders, and that cyclists, who are equally or more vulnerable, get off scot-free.

ACC Minister and Nelson MP Nick Smith got a clear demonstration of the depth of feeling on Saturday, when more than 500 motorcyclists carried out a protest ride from Richmond to Nelson and then gathered at his Annesbrook office. The minister was surprised at how many took part. He said he had also been surprised by the scale of the proposed increases which he is now responsible for shepherding through, but added that ACC paid out $62 million last year to care for injured motorcyclists.

Even so, the size of the protest and similar feelings being expressed around New Zealand must surely be giving Dr Smith and the Government something to think about. Although the problem of how to get ACC back on track is complex, and has now widened to raise the spectre of partial privatisation, this part of it carries a simple political message: push these levies through and it will cost votes – plenty of them. To the motorcyclists, it's a straightforward fairness issue, and many in the wider community no doubt share the view that it is wrong to single out this group for such savage treatment when people who take part in risky sports and leisure activities aren't levied at all. It's time for the policy wonks to go back to the drawing board.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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