Minister of Social Development U-Turns on Serco Comments
Minister of Social Development U-Turns on Serco Comments
Minister of Social Development Anne Tolley has attempted to dodge New Zealand First’s questions in Parliament relating to comments she made on TVNZ’sQ+A programme last week – but she has been caught out.
“The Minister denied answering any questions on Q+A about the provision of child protection services by the likes of Serco but a transcript of the programme says otherwise, says New Zealand First Spokesperson for Social Development Darroch Ball.
“She was all too happy at the time to brag about her involvement with Serco’s private contract at Wiri, holding it up as a shining example of what could be done. In fact, she gave the impression she was genuinely impressed with Serco.
“The Minister was asked by Political Reporter Corin Dann, ‘So if a company like Serco, which in the UK wants to provide child services, said they could do it in New Zealand and it could do it better than the current services being offered, would you be open to that?’
“Minister Tolley answered, ‘It would need to be better, you know, like Wiri, they would need to be better than the current services. But yes, I would be open to that.’
“In a bizarre U-turn yesterday the Minister distanced herself from her involvement with Serco by denying answering any questions on the topic.
“New Zealand First is concerned about what privatization of our state services will look like in the hands of this government,” says Mr Ball.
ENDS