Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Quarantine Leak: So Many Basic Questions

"This morning's revelation that a list of those quarantined was leaked raises too many questions for this Government to continue," according to ACT Leader David Seymour

"Number one issue: we've had a dead man walking as Minister of Health for the last three months. And then, even he realised it was time for him to go before the Prime Minister did.

"The Government shouldn't be asking how the leak happened, they should already know. Surely the Ministry of Health was not keeping the list on spreadsheets that can just be emailed around?

"A vaguely competent operation would have the spreadsheet locked. If the passwords were leaked too then it is malicious. If such data was being kept on an unlocked spreadsheet then the Government is not taking its duty seriously.

"The Health Budget is $20 billion. After welfare, the Ministry of Health is managing the second largest budget in the country. It dwarfs Fonterra, Air New Zealand, Spark, or any other New Zealand entity. The idea that it can't use a database is extraordinary.

"If the Government was using a database, it should know who had access to and downloaded the leaked information. User access records should allow it to identify who had the information.

"User access control should limit the number of people who have the complete record. If everyone had access to the complete record, that is hopeless.

"A private business that made this mistake would face serious consequences for privacy breaches. Sadly, there appears to be one standard for the Government, and another for the private sector.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

"In normal times, perhaps we could say that mistakes happen, but public health has been the clear focus of Government for over three months since the Prime Minister asked the whole country to stay home for five weeks. Fighting COVID has been the total focus of more organised Governments, such as Taiwan's, for all of 2020.

"The real tragedy, though, is not this leak, it is the effects of this leak on public confidence. At a time when we should be having an intelligent conversation about how we can reconnect with the rest of the world for our economic survival, the Government will no doubt resort to blunter lockdown measures.

"Responsibility for this failure must rest at the top. It's not good enough to blame the Ministry of Health Officials or any recent Minister of Health. We are in this position because even the least competent Minister who was responsible for Health realised he had to go before the Prime Minister did.

"The only way forward to an intelligent conversation about smart borders is now a change of Government. We need a Government that sets priorities and asks the right questions, rather than relying on kindness in place of competence.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


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

ALSO:


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

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

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


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

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

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.