Time to call BS on Metiria Turei’s claim of starvation
4 AUGUST 2017
“It’s time to call Metiria Turei’s fraud on voters for what it is: naked political hoodwinking at the expense of the
truth and taxpayers,” says Jordan Williams, the Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director.
“When this story first broke, there were howls of outrage for us claiming that the father of Ms Turei’s child was one of
the ‘flatmates’ Ms Turei failed to declare. Now evidence has emerged that we were right – Turei was probably not
entitled to the Domestic Purposes Benefit at all at material times she was claiming it.”
“Ms Turei was enrolled at the same address as the father of her child. Her mother was living with her, and she was
attending law school. The claims she needed to defraud the taxpayer to put food on the table just don’t add up. At
minimum, Ms Turia has been caught gilding the lily.”
“$57,096 – that’s how much the three years of fraud is worth in today’s dollars. This dancing around the truth by Ms
Turei, and milking claims of poverty as justification for ripping off taxpayers, needs to stop."
"Pay back the money Ms Turei, and do it today.”
ENDS