Prime Minister’s Abandoning of National Security Issues Must Be Questioned

The Prime Minister’s handing over of serious Prime Ministerial responsibilities to the Attorney-General is a serious break with the Prime Minister’s role and traditional oversight of critical intelligence and security issues, says New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“At two levels the Prime Minister’s behaviour has got to be questioned.

“First. At the Domestic level ,how can the Attorney-General in his unique role possibly pick up the two portfolios, SIS and GSCB, without serious conflicts of interest, past, present and future?

“Second. At the International level what are our friends and allies to make of our government treating these issues of such little importance that intelligence and security communications is now assigned to someone who sits at No.8 in Cabinet.

“Clearly this is a belated admission of the Prime Minister’s bungling of his past responsibilities to the extent that he now wishes to hide behind the Attorney-General’s office,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS