Gerry Brownlee MP National Party Deputy Leader
26 July 2006
Speaker's decision on Field astonishing
National Party Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee is astonished at the decision by Parliament's Speaker Margaret Wilson not to
refer the Taito Phillip Field case to the Privileges Committee.
"Helen Clark tied the hands of the inquiry. She is sitting on her own hands because of a craven and unscrupulous desire
to cling to power at any cost.
"This reflects poorly on all MPs. Labour has made a mockery of the process and, by doing so, they are compromising the
integrity of Parliament.
"Today's ruling by the Speaker restricts the jurisdiction of the Privilege process narrowly to the operation of
parliamentary procedures.
"Outside those formal procedures - the parliamentary questions process or select committees - Margaret Wilson has
effectively ruled that anything goes.
"What does it take to get an MP referred to the Privileges Committee? If the Field case isn't strong enough, what will
be?"
ENDS