Maryan STREET

Spokesperson for State Services                        

25 February 2014                      MEDIA STATEMENT  

Still no need to review the state sector, Minister?  

Non-governmental organisations are too frightened to put their names to submissions which are critical of government legislation for fear of losing funding, Labour’s  State Services Spokesperson Maryan Street says .

“The first submitter on the Human Rights Amendment Bill at the Justice and Electoral Select Committee hearing this morning, representing the Auckland Domestic Violence and Disability Working Group, said that she could not identify the groups she represented because many of them were too frightened to be named.

“She told  MPs at the select committee that many of the 10 groups she represented were not prepared to be named because they might lose government funding.

“Yet Jonathan Coleman insists there is no culture of fear in our public services. He ignores the reality that public servants are afraid to speak out for fear of  losing their jobs and careers. Applicants to government departments are also afraid to speak up against the government’s legislation for fear they will be disadvantaged in funding applications.

“What kind of country are we becoming? John Key needs to realise he is running a country, not a company. People have rights and should be treated as equals, and have the confidence to know that that will happen, regardless of whether or not they agree with the government,” said Maryan Street.

ENDS

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