26 October 2015

Baa-d behaviour or a bit of a dag?

No matter how he spins it Steven Joyce will be a laughing stock over revelations of expensive repairs to model sheep roughly treated at a government department Christmas function, Labour’s Economic Development spokesperson David Clark says.

“You couldn’t make this yarn up – Mr Joyce should be feeling sheepish.

“Papers obtained by Labour under the official information act show two model sheep – hired at a cost of $85 each – needed $500 worth of repairs following what appears to be some high jinks at last year’s MoBIE Christmas function.

“That’s money fleeced from taxpayers.

“Today’s MoBIE revelation is the latest in a series of embarrassing budgetary decisions the Minister has overseen. He has already been forced to apologise over extravagance in the departmental refit that included a $67,000 sign, a $23,000 fridge and top of the line hair-straighteners.

“Other expenses uncovered have included a $73,000 reception desk, $16,553 of soft furnishing and tables for the reception and just last week, the most expensive media monitoring enterprise in Government.

“While Steven Joyce might bleat on about this blow-out being a one off $260,000 sundecks and $140,000 TV screens don’t lie.

“He should face ramifications or have his pay docked.

“At the very least, the Minister will be lambasted by a public tired of careless spending of hard-earned taxpayer dollars.

“This is sheer nonsense from a department which should be sticking to its knitting, not trying to pull the wool over our eyes.”

ends