PM's Press Conference 7/8/17: But His Text Messages
Click a link to play audio (or right-click to download) in either
MP3 format or in OGG format.
Prime Minister Bill English opened today's post-cabinet press conference by taking positive messages from a report by
Moody's on the NZ economy, and from the National Construction Pipeline Report which project building work into the next
six years. He also referred to the Government's recent announcements on Auckland transport and Tom Walsh's shot put gold
at the World Athletics Championship.
English was questioned about the large number of text messages Winston Peters has said English sent to his former
electorate secretary Glenys Dickson at the time of the Todd Barclay affair. English maintained the issues had been
covered and that he did not know of the nature of the settlement between Dickson and Parliamentary Services at the time.
He said he was unconcerned about the possibility of his text messages having leaked, and that he had had no contact with
police in the course of their reopened investigation.
Other topics included the Construction Pipeline Report (and whether projections for the short term beign revised down is
bad), and Australian 'Buy Queensland Policy' (there is ongoing work to see Australia is complying with CER), and calls
for dramatic changes to climate policy (the may be small changes announced before the election but the Government is
'happy with where we are').
***