Carmel Sepuloni should not have been stood down

Carmel Sepuloni should not have been stood down from Labour’s social development portfolio over her mother’s benefit fraud charges.

“It is hard to see how conflict of interest applies when Carmel is neither a Minister nor even a member of a governing party,” says Auckland Action Against Poverty spokesperson and former Green MP Sue Bradford.

“And surely she cannot in any way be held accountable for crimes her mother is alleged to have committed, as Andrew Little himself points out.

“The fact that Carmel comes from a difficult family background is surely all the more justification for her to continue with her Social Development role, not a reason to give it up.

“I don’t know how much this stand down is the result of pressure from others in Labour and how much of it comes from Carmel’s own desire to stay politically clear of an awkward family situation, but it is a real pity that these stresses have resulted in her withdrawing from the role.

“AAAP welcomed Ms Sepuloni’s elevation to her front bench Social Development position as we know her as someone with real life experience of the welfare system and poverty, but who hasn’t turned on others who have shared the same journey, as Paula Bennett has done so stunningly.

“Welfare is a critical issue in 2015 as National’s reforms bed down with brutal effect at local Work & Income offices, and with the rewrite of the Social Security Act due out at the end of the year.

“With all this going on and hundreds of thousands of peoples’ lives affected, it is critical that Labour has its best possible person in place.

“AAAP will work with whoever is appointed to take over Carmel’s role, but we are saddened by the thinking behind her removal.

“If all political party spokespeople and Ministers were stood down every time a family member, no matter how independent, was before the courts on a matter related to their portfolio(s), Parliament would be a strange and unrepresentative institution.

“Unless the alleged crimes are those of the MP concerned, familiarity with real life should be an asset, not a source of shame and stand downs.”

ends

© Scoop Media