Maryan STREET
Spokesperson for State Services
25 February 2014 MEDIA STATEMENT
Still no need to review the state sector, Minister?
Non-governmental organisations are too frightened to put their names to submissions which are critical of government
legislation for fear of losing funding, Labour’s State Services Spokesperson Maryan Street says .
“The first submitter on the Human Rights Amendment Bill at the Justice and Electoral Select Committee hearing this
morning, representing the Auckland Domestic Violence and Disability Working Group, said that she could not identify the
groups she represented because many of them were too frightened to be named.
“She told MPs at the select committee that many of the 10 groups she represented were not prepared to be named because
they might lose government funding.
“Yet Jonathan Coleman insists there is no culture of fear in our public services. He ignores the reality that public
servants are afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs and careers. Applicants to government departments are
also afraid to speak up against the government’s legislation for fear they will be disadvantaged in funding
applications.
“What kind of country are we becoming? John Key needs to realise he is running a country, not a company. People have
rights and should be treated as equals, and have the confidence to know that that will happen, regardless of whether or
not they agree with the government,” said Maryan Street.
ENDS