David Shearer's Pre-Caucus Press Conference – 11 June 2013

David Shearer's Pre-Caucus Press Conference – 11 June

By Hamish Cardwell

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David Shearer's regular pre-caucus press conference was dominated by questions about Peter Dunne who resigned as a Minister on Friday June 7. Mr Dunne had refused to cooperate with an inquiry into a leaked report on the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).

Mr Shearer said Prime Minister John Key was washing his hands of the Peter Dunne incident by not investigating it further because it was politically convenient to do so. Mr Key himself had said it was his responsibility to find out who leaked the report, said Mr Shearer, but he had not "gotten to the bottom of it at all".

Mr Shearer was asked why this was any different to when Labour MP Phil Goff used leaked cabinet papers concerning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade(MFAT).

He replied in that case the ministers were required to testify under oath which was not the case with the GCSB leak investigation.

The role of the opposition was to hold the government to account using whatever material they could. Mr Goff publishing leaked MFAT cabinet papers was an example of that, he said.

Mr Shearer denied this was as example of there being one rule for the government and one for the opposition.

"I asked John Key several times in Parliament why it was that ministers in this inquiry were not being asked to testify under oath and he said he didn't know."

It was a double standard for Mr Key to get the police to raid media agencies over the 'tea-tapes', but to walk away over this, he said.

"The only thing that is in common here is that Mr Dunne and Mr Banks are being looked after by Mr Key to keep his government propped up," he said.

ENDS

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