Gerry Brownlee MP
National Party State Services Spokesman

26 November 2007

Mallard should come clean on source of smear

Environment Minister Trevor Mallard should come clean on the source of his smear against whistleblower Erin Leigh, says National’s State Services Spokesman, Gerry Brownlee.

“The State Services Commission is now attempting to gag Erin Leigh from defending herself against Trevor Mallard’s public smear attack on her.

“She should be entitled to defend herself - especially when a Minister uses parliamentary privilege to launch such an attack.

“The fact is that Ministers don’t answer questions in Parliament without taking advice from their officials.

“Mr Mallard was very explicit last week in listing the number of times in which Erin Leigh’s work was alleged to have been substandard.

“Someone inside the Ministry for the Environment clearly gave that advice to Mr Mallard.

“Mr Mallard has clearly put political pressure on the ministry to come up with dirt, and someone has succumbed to the pressure to please the Minister.

“Whoever succumbed needs to be smoked out - and Mr Mallard needs to fess up.”

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