Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Time For Govt To Drop The Innocent Act

The Prime Minister's 'taken by surprise' response to state sector bonus payments either indicates Government incompetence, or that we're not hearing the full story, Opposition Leader Jenny Shipley said today. "The Government's protestations of ignorance show they are either lying, or haven't done their job properly."

"A Cabinet Committee has historically met annually to set the rules for bonuses and wage rounds in the state sector. This provides a mechanism for the Government to send signals to Chief Executives about their wage round expectations and to give a clear indication on issues such as bonus cut-off limits. The committee also sets prohibitions on practises which are not acceptable - such as paying bonuses to staff for simply enacting Government policy.

"Helen Clark must be up-front and reveal whether this Cabinet Committee did meet in 2000 under her Government. And did it provide clear directions to Chief Executives? It is her responsibility as Prime Minister to see that such guidance is given. To act surprised now is not credible.

"If it did meet then Chief Executives should have been given clear instructions on what was, and was not, acceptable for bonus payments. If that had happened then the NZQA bonus fiasco would never have occurred.

"But if the Cabinet Committee did not meet then Helen Clark needs to acknowledge that the Government has failed to do its job properly.

"If the Government has been taken by surprise then it is because they failed to do their job properly in monitoring the use of money by state agencies. The Prime Minister should expect her Ministers to be kept informed by their CEOs.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

"Trevor Mallard and Steve Maharey must come clean in relation to NZQA, and Mark Gosche in relation to Housing New Zealand, as to whether they were told bonuses were being considered and if so what action they took.

"Helen Clark's tough talk as Prime Minister about preventing excess and unnecessary spending in the public sector has proven to be insincere gibberish. She has had more than a year to fix these issues and has failed to do so," Jenny Shipley said.

Ends


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.