Charles Chauvel
Associate Justice Spokesperson

29 July 2009 Media Statement

Bullying by Government Ministers and MPs a worrying trend

Labour’s Associate Justice Spokesperson Charles Chauvel is lamenting what he labels a “worrying trend” emerging amongst Government MPs to engage in bullying.

“It is a matter of record that I have helped put together a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner about Paula Bennett’s release of personal information about two beneficiaries after they expressed concern about her decision to cut the Training Incentive Allowance.

“But there is a growing list of behaviour emerging from this Government that indicates a very low tolerance for dissent. A disturbing number of the relevant examples are coming from out of the Justice sector,” Charles Chauvel says.

“Today in Auckland at the Law and Order Select Committee, it is reported that an MP from a Government support party, David Garrett, called into question the right of submitters to express their views to the committee without risk. A group of prison officers who were describing shortfalls in the past private management of prisons was reportedly told by Mr Garrett:

“You say that you don’t want to go back to working in this environment – to the private. You’d be aware that given your submission here, you wouldn’t get offered a job anyway, would you?”

“Mr Garrett’s reported statements are deplorable. The New Zealand Parliament has one of the most open select committee processes in the world. We should never tolerate an MP appearing to threaten members of the public who have taken the time and energy to engage with parliamentarians simply because he or she disagrees with their position,” Charles Chauvel says.

“These instances come hard on the heels of Justice Minister Simon Power’s public rebuke to the Chief Justice not to speak out on penal policy. Then there was Judith Collin’s cack-handed attempt to bully the Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections, Barry Matthews, from office. The Minister had to back down to avoid an embarrassing and potentially very costly personal grievance in that instance.

“This Government is not yet even nine months old. Already, a number of its MPs are showing a worrying intolerance for opposing views. Bullying is no substitute for debate, and it won’t win any arguments in the long term.”

ENDS

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