"Assuming soon-to-be announced Alert Level 2 rules permit medium-sized indoor gatherings of people, then restricting
Budget lockup attendance to Press Gallery journalists is unnecessary," says New Zealand Taxpayers' Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke.
"Why are the Finance Minister and Speaker only planning for Alert Level 3 conditions? Why not have a contingency plan
for Level 2, allowing for more open access to the lockup, perhaps with an overflow room?"
"The Government could send out conditional invitations to banks, investment firms, think tanks, and unions on the
understanding that they will only be valid under Level 2. This would suggest a good-faith, transparent approach to
Budget Day arrangements. As it stands, the Speaker and Finance Minister appear to be exploiting a health crisis to limit
expert scrutiny of their spending plans."