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Wellington, June 28, 2017
The Taxpayers’ Union has called on Members of Parliament to shed the cloak of secrecy surrounding Parliamentary Services and for political parties to commit to bring it under the Official Information Act (OIA) in the next Parliamentary term.
Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said that taxpayers should be able to find out how politicians are spending their money.
Margaret Wilson ‘s views
In 2007, then Speaker Margaret Wilson, called on the inclusion of Parliament under the Act, telling an Information Law Conference marking 25 years of the Official Information Act that “I personally find it anomalous that the administration of Parliament is not subject to the OIA, with suitable protections for the privacy of communications between Members of Parliament and their constituents and agencies that they petition on behalf of the public.”
Mr Williams said, “Today New Zealand First Deputy Leader Ron Mark called on the Government to front up and tell the public how much the Barclay employment settlement cost taxpayers. We agree, but sunlight should be shone on all instances of politicians paying to silence and settle employment disputes with former staff. At the Taxpayers’ Union, we’ve been highlighting this very issue since 2014.”
The 2014 comments can be found at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9590207/Payments-buy-the-silence-of-staff-at-Parliament
Margaret Wilson’s full speech can be found at: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0705/S00352.htm
About Taxpayers’ Union
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is an independent and membership-driven activist group, dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power.
The Taxpayers’ Union operates a 24-hour media line for comment on taxpayer issues. Representatives are available on (04) 282 0302.
High resolution images and logos are available on request or online at http://www.taxpayers.org.nz/resources
The Taxpayers’ Union is a member of World Taxpayers Associations – the global network of taxpayers’ groups working together for lower taxes, limited and accountable government, and taxpayer rights all over the world.
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