12 October 2006

Anderton welcomes clarification and commitment to pay

Jim Anderton Progressive Leader welcomed the Controller and Auditor General’s report on advertising expenditure tabled in the House of Representatives today.

“ Although many will not agree totally with the Auditor-General’s findings, I understand that all parties have agreed to pay the amounts found by the Auditor–General to have been spent unlawfully, which in my view is the best possible outcome,” Jim Anderton said from Christchurch today.

“Now we can look forward to ensuring there is clarity around such spending prior to the next election so that all parties are clear on what is expected of them.

"For my part, it is good to finally have a copy of this report, as the Progressive Party has been somewhat out of the loop in the debate that has been circulating in the past few months given that we were the only party which has been ruled by the Auditor-General not to have incurred expenditure outside of the rules of the Parliamentary Services Appropriation in the run up to the last election,” Jim Anderton said.

"To this end the Progressive Party will now be able give serious consideration to the findings of the Auditor-General and the advice in the report tabled by the Speaker today regarding validating legislation,” Jim Anderton said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media