SSC investigation should be wide and thorough 22 MAY
2017
The Taxpayers’ Union says that the State Services
Commission's investigation into the Transport Ministry’s
handling of warnings about fraudster Joanne Harrison's
behaviour while the current Auditor General, Martin
Matthews, was Chief Executive at the Ministry, should be
wide and thorough.
David Farrar, a co-founder of the
Taxpayers’ Union, says, “The details which have been
made public in the last 24 hours, suggesting that two former
Transport Ministry workers were forced out of their jobs
after raising the alarm about the use of taxpayers’ money,
are disturbing.”
“Taxpayers need to have
confidence that officials can safely blow the whistle on the
misuse of public money, and that departments have safeguards
to prevent retaliation by perpetrators.”
“The
investigation should, at a minimum, interview the two
whistle-blowers, and report on the handling of the
allegations in 2013 by Mr
Matthews.”
If you're using Scoop for work, your organisation needs to pay a small license fee with Scoop Pro. We think that's fair, because your organisation is benefiting from using our news resources. In return, we'll also give your team access to pro news tools and keep Scoop free for personal use, because public access to news is important!
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn. Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik... More
Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More
Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More
Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More
Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More