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Justified Improvement Or Parliamentary Palace?
MEDIA RELEASE
Justified Improvement Or Parliamentary Palace?
28
NOVEMBER 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No other public agency would get away with the secrecy surrounding the proposal for a new "Parliamentary palace”, says the Taxpayers’ Union, which is renewing its calls for Parliamentary spending to come under the Official Information Act 1982. The Union’s Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:
“We’d like to be able to run questions past the Speaker of the House about this proposal, and specifically get some assurance that these new Parliamentary buildings offer taxpayers value for money. But unlike any other buildings funded by taxpayers, the public can’t access even the most basic information under the Official Information Act. That's because Parliament has a special carve out which prevents public scrutiny of its spending.”
“If the MPs have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear. Will the new MP's offices follow MBIE’s example, with hair straighteners, $24,000 fridges and $140,000 television screens? Who knows? With no public accountability, MPs may well go to town on their new digs."
ENDS
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