Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Licence needed for work use Learn More
Parliament

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

 

Report puts end to neutral public service

Gerry Brownlee MP
National Party State Services Spokesman

20 November 2007

Report puts end to neutral public service

National Party State Services spokesman Gerry Brownlee says a State Services Commission report out this afternoon, confirms that David Parker meddled in the appointment of Clare Curran at the Environment Ministry.

“But the report does not confirm when Mr Parker first raised Clare Curran as a potential candidate at the Ministry, or what he said. Yet on the basis of that conversation, suddenly the appointment of Clare Curran became urgent, and a reason to circumvent the Ministry’s usual contracting process.

“If this wasn’t so serious, I’d be laughing. This report is proof positive that under Labour there is no longer any pretence of a neutral public service.

“Around the same time that Ms Curran was writing a highly political paper about Labour’s use of language, she is appointed to the Ministry for the Environment as a communications expert.

“Laughably, the contract management checklist for the Labour Party activist has been marked in the affirmative to the question ‘are you confident there is no conflict of interest for any of the parties to the contract’.

“David Parker will have public questions to answer when he returns to New Zealand. Helen Clark has described his meddling as ‘naïve’. Were David Benson-Pope and Jim Anderton naïve too? This tired third-term Government appears to be suffering from an epidemic of naivety when it comes to public sector appointments.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Mr Brownlee says it has not escaped National’s attention that Ms Curran’s business, Inzight Communications, has also won contracts from the Ministry of Social Development.

“In May last year, Ms Curran provided a strategic paper to a Labour Party conference. About the same time she was awarded a $120-an-hour contract at the Ministry for the Environment.

“This is Labour’s version of a ‘neutral’ public service. Madeleine Setchell is sacked because at least two Ministers presumed she was a risk, yet Labour activist Clare Curran is rewarded because of her political connections.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

Featured 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.