JOBS | Accommodation

WIRES:

Scoop >> Parliament

Advice refutes Labour’s conflict allegations

Friday, 28 May 2010, 1:56 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Government

Hon John Key
Prime Minister
28 May 2010 Media Statement
Advice refutes Labour’s conflict allegations

Prime Minister John Key today released legal advice that totally refutes allegations made by Pete Hodgson and the Labour Party in the last few days.

“The advice from the law firm that established Aldgate, my blind trust, states I don’t have ‘any ownership or other interest in Whitechapel’, and that it is not correct for Mr Hodgson to claim the assets I did own were ‘transferred’ to Whitechapel Ltd. They were in fact sold to Whitechapel.

“All this means that I have no beneficial interest in Whitechapel Ltd, which is central to Labour’s claims of a conflict of interest.

“As I have been saying for the last few days, I utterly refute the allegations made by Mr Hodgson and Labour. They are nothing more than muckraking and factually incorrect.

“To ensure transparency, I will be providing the advice from the law firm to the Speaker, to support my position and refute Labour’s privileges complaint against me.

“Clearly, Labour has no response to the Budget and they are resorting in desperation to muckraking. This isn’t the first time Labour has employed these tactics – we also saw it during the 2008 election campaign.”

Attached: Advice from Taylor Grant Tesiram
Letter.pdf

ENDS

Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

NEW ZEALAND POLITICS > >

Parliament Today:

Audio - The Week In Parliament Feb 17 - Weekly Select Committee Report Feb 17

Christchurch: Canterbury Earthquake Memorial 22/2/12

Coverage and reaction as New Zealand remembers the February 2011 earthquakes. More>>

Earthquake awards:

Image - 185 Chairs (installation at Oxford Terrace Baptist Church site) by Pete Majendie. Photo: @edmuzik
Christchurch City Council - Christchurch Earthquake Awards

Roy Morgan Poll: Party Support Stable; Australians Like Cafes

Today’s New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows continuing strong support for Prime Minister John Key’s National Party 45.5% . Support for Key’s Coalition partners has changed little with the Maori Party 1.5%, ACT NZ 1%, and United Future 0.5% ... (up 0.5%). More>>

ALSO:

Tuesday TV3 Video - Poll shows asset sales unpopular - Poll shows declining faith in John Key

Election Rules: The Radio Network To Police Over United Future Programme

On 21 February 2012, the Electoral Commission referred The Radio Network to the Police for broadcasting election programmes for United Future on 25 October 2011... More>>

ALSO:

November Image Television NZ - TVNZ Images: Minor Party Leaders Debate

Public Address Link: Keith Ng Looks Into McCully's Emails

So, I’m not sure about this story. If this groap was really on an “international hunt for military secrets”, why on earth would they tell everyone about it? More to the point, why would they send out prank emails from McCully’s account in the first place? More>>

ALSO:

TV3 Video - MP's email hacked for military secrets

Gordon Campbell: On The Crafar Ruling And The China/NZ FTA

At yesterday’s post-Cabinet press conference, Prime Minister John Key indicated that the government is waiting for a Crown law office opinion on Justice Forrest Miller’s High Court ruling on the approval process for the Crafar Farms deal with the Chinese, before deciding on its next step. More>>

ALSO:

Earlier Crafar farm case coverage - Scoop's NZ Politics section
Mark P. Williams - Multimedia: PM on Quake Anniversary, Diseases, Stephen Fry
TV3 Video - Key: Government still committed to economic plan

Justice System: Government's Lawyer Made High Court Judge

Solicitor-General David Brian Collins QC has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today. More>>

ALSO:

Image- 2007 Alastair Thompson - Video: Solicitor Gen. "Terror" Charges Presser

Cuts: Government Plans To Trim The MFAT?

As many as one in four employees in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could be sacked as a result of cost-cutting by the Government, Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Phil Goff says. More>>

ALSO:

Greens - Green Party comment on MFAT restructuring

Health Roundup: Infectious Disease Study 'Highlights Need To Invest In Children'

Child Poverty Action Group is calling on the government to make greater efforts to invest in children, particularly disadvantaged children, following the publication of a research paper showing New Zealand has unusually high rates of infectious diseases. More>>

ALSO:

University of Otago - Alarming increase in serious infectious diseases in NZ
Labour - Public policy must take health impacts into account
Greens - Sick kids: urgent need to improve housing
Image Martin Doyle - Martin Doyle cartoon: The infection that keeps spreading

Health Quality and Safety Commission - Serious and Sentinel Events Report 2010/11
NZ Nurses Organisation - Fewer mistakes happen in hospitals which are safely staffed

Cancer Society NZ - Abandon the silos!

Labour - Pressure increasing on cash-strapped health sector - Possible health cuts wider than just Hawke’s Bay
NZNO - Jobs to go at Hawke’s Bay DHB
Bay Of Plenty DHB - Correction to statements circulating regarding Bay DHB

Gordon Campbell: The Government's Inertia On Housing

The weekend protests about Housing New Zealand’s Tamaki Transformation programme (which aims to relocate residents of 156 state house to make way for a mix of state owned and privately owned housing) are merely the tip of the iceberg of Auckland’s shortage of affordable housing – which is set to get worse, not better. More>>