Dear Committee Members,
This is a submission on the
Parliament Bill.
New Zealand prides itself on being a
transparent democracy. But until spending by Members of Parliament is
treated no different to Ministerial expenses we are nothing of the
sort.
I submit that the carve-out from the Official Information Act
applicable to Parliament and MP's spending should be
abolished.
This Bill is about “modernising”
Parliament’s operations. I urge you to apply to MPs what you
expect from almost every other part of Government: transparency of how
taxpayers’ money is spent.
Around the world, MPs expense scandals have killed public trust in
politicians. It’s only a matter of time until New Zealand faces
the same. That's why we need the sunshine of transparency right now.
Unless
you are an MP with something to hide, you have nothing to fear.
Ministerial expenses are already covered by the Official Information
Act – why should backbenchers, opposition MPs, and party leaders
be any different?
Just recently, MÄori Party Co-leader
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer blew $39,000 on international air travel in just
three months. We only know that Ms Ngarewa-Packer was in Hawaii thanks
to social media posts. We have no idea what her “work”
schedule was while there.
Chris Hipkins took his partner to
Europe during the recent Parliamentary recess. He says, she paid for
the flights. But without transparency it’s impossible to know
whether taxpayers footed the bill in other ways.
And unlike
for Ministers, we can’t know what these “work trip”
costs taxpayers are covering.
Whenever MPs are pressed for
answers, taxpayers are told it’s none of our business.
If any other public servant refused such
transparency—there would be outrage. Why should Members of
Parliament enjoy a different standard?
The original “Danks” Committee on Official Information
(which led to the Official Information Act in the first place) and,
more recently, the Law Commission, have made very clear that the
Parliamentary Service should be included within freedom of information
laws. It’s time for Parliament to listen.
New Zealand
deserves a Parliament transparent and accountable to the people. I ask
the Committee to take this opportunity to build a truly modern,
transparent democracy: expand the Official Information Act to include
all financial matters pertaining to the Parliamentary Service,
Members, and their offices’ spending, to ensure transparency of
taxpayer dollars.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit.