The Government is holding back information outlining spending within the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Labour education spokesperson Trevor Mallard said today.

Trevor Mallard said Tertiary Education Minister Max Bradford was holding onto a report which was called for following controversy surrounding former chief executive Douglas Blackmur.

"The findings in the report will reinforce public perception of this Government's acceptance of outrageous spending of taxpayers' money in areas like travel and entertaining," Trevor Mallard said.

"In June, Mr Bradford sought to extinguish public disapproval by announcing reviews of NZQA when questions that I asked were about to bring public attention to some unsavoury practices.

"He wanted to appear to be pro-active in opposing excessive spending which he knows the public has had enough of.

"Yet, I am aware that he has had the results of those reviews for some time now and is choosing to keep them hidden. He is suppressing information that the public has a right to know.

"In light of vehement public opposition to the salary and expenses enjoyed by outgoing Lotteries Commission chief executive David Bale, his caution is understandable, but it is entirely unacceptable.

"I call on Mr Bradford to make those reports public," Trevor Mallard said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>