John Key too slow - Smith inquiry still needed

John Key should have had the guts to sack or stand Nick Smith down two days ago when it became obvious the former ACC Minister had used his ministerial influence to help a friend in her dispute with ACC.



"Key must stop fudging responsibility for the Nick Smith affair and order an independent inquiry into the former minister's behaviour," Green Party ACC spokesperson Kevin Hague said.



Today Dr Smith voluntarily resigned from his ministerial roles over the dispute and revealed he had not declared a conflict of interest in a second letter he signed off in the same case.



"This allowed John Key to get away with doing nothing, again. Dr Smith's resignation should not allow Key to shut this fiasco down.



"Key has been so relaxed about the whole debacle, you've got to wonder whether he really understood the gravity of the criticisms facing Dr Smith.



"The second conflict, which Dr Smith said led to his resignation, has provided a convenient excuse to get him out of the way when John Key finally cottoned on to how politically damaging the situation was.



"John Key should have had the political nous to deal with this before now but he just didn't seem to get it.



"For the past two days John Key and his ACC Minister have effectively endorsed Dr Smith's behaviour by deflecting calls for an investigation into the fiasco on to the Privacy Commissioner's inquiry which they knew had no possible scope to deal with Dr Smith.



"That the Privacy Commissioner should investigate a potential misuse of ministerial power was always ridiculous. There is no scope within the Privacy Act for the Commissioner to inquire into the behaviour of MPs. That is clearly stated in the Privacy Act and on the Commissioner's website.



"That's why the Green Party has asked the Auditor General to investigate.



"Serious questions remain about the impact of Dr Smith's error on the individual ACC case at the centre of the fiasco and on the wider privacy issue.



"John Key seems to be wanting to buy time in the hope that in the weeks it takes for the Privacy Commissioner's inquiry to come out, Dr Smith will be on the back benches and we will have forgotten all about it."