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

 

Conflicts Exposed In Ministerial Offices

Conflicts Exposed In Ministerial Offices

National MP Nick Smith is astounded at the blatant conflicts of interest arising from staff working simultaneously for Government lobbyists and Government Ministers.

"Standards are being severely compromised when lobbyists are working for PR companies one day and Government Ministers the next. It creates huge conflicts of interest," Dr Smith said.

Dr Smith revealed in Parliament today that an Account Director with international public relations agency Porter Novelli, which has contracts with both TransAlta and Westco Lagan, worked as a Press Secretary for the Minister of Energy and Minister responsible for Timberlands West Coast.

Dr Smith also revealed that the Minister of Immigration's Press Secretary works four days a week for the Government and one day a week as an Account Manager for lobbyists Morris Communications.

"This is at variance with the Prime Minister's promise that Labour would set new standards both in terms of behaviour and performance. It is not only important that Ministers offices are free of outside commercial interests, but also that they are seen to be free.

"Ministers' offices are privy to extremely sensitive information that corporates would pay a small fortune for. Public relations companies justify their exorbitant fees based on their knowledge of the political process and access to politicians. The conflicts are unavoidable.

"The public is already nervous about the growing role of paid lobbyists and having them work on both the inside and outside of Government at the same time completely oversteps the line.

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.

"The hypocrisy is exposed with Trevor Mallard's outrage in 1998 against Roger Estall working for insurance broker Marsh McLennan and the Fire Service simultaneously. He said this was 'abhorrent', 'outrageous' and 'the sort of corruption that we would expect in countries like Indonesia'.

"The Prime Minister appointed herself Minister in charge of Ministerial Services to set high standards. The existing conflicts of interest must end and the boundary between lobbyists and Government must be made clear," Mr Smith 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.