Officials sidelined in “Insider” Group Meeting

National’s raising questions over the total exclusion of public servants from meetings with Dr Ross Armstrong over his so called “insider” group.

“Papers released yesterday show that Treasury and Transport officials were kept at arm’s length during last week’s key meeting with the Government to discuss public private partnerships,” says National State Services spokesman Murray McCully.

“This is just what the State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham was warning of last week - the replacement of neutral public servants by hired political advisors.

The papers show political advisors Michael Parker and Chris McKenzie were both at the meeting, along with their masters Paul Swain and Dr Cullen and that Dr Armstrong arranged meetings through Dr Cullen’s political advisor Peter Harris.

“If everything is as tidy as we are told of Dr Armstrong’s meeting, why were key Treasury and Transport officials, who would have prepared proper briefing papers and taken notes, excluded?”

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