Government unwise to shrug off transparency bid
<p>New Zealanders are demanding increased transparency and ethics in politics and it’s up to politicians to take notice, Labour’s Open Government spokesperson Clare Curran says.</p>
<p>“New Zealand has, for years, had a reputation as a country with very little corruption but there is a disturbing and growing pattern of cronyism and political interference appearing in government decision-making.</p>
<p>“Even perceptions of conflicts of interest and back room deals need to be guarded against, and not just by National, but by all MPs,” Clare Curran said.</p>
<p>Labour supported Green Party MP Holly Walker’s Lobby disclosure private members bill because it introduced more transparency and a code of ethics into lobbying practices in the parliament.</p>
<p>“Lobbying is a perfectly valid activity, but some lobbyists have more access to politicians than others and are not required to disclose who they lobby or who they are working for.</p>
<p>“If the National Government doesn’t support this bill, it sends a disturbing message that it supports the back room deals and the cronyism that is creeping in to some Ministers’ behaviour.</p>
<p>“Labour believes increased transparency in politics is necessary and inevitable. The lobbying bill is a good step and we would like to see the debate widen on other transparency measures.</p>
<p>“New Zealanders shouldn’t have to jump through countless hoops in order to access material they should be entitled to. The excuse of ‘commercial sensitivity’ or ‘not in the national interest’ is too often used by this Government to justify withholding information.</p>
<p>“Politics is about influence. But it should also be about conscience and ethics. It’s time we saw a bit more of that in our Parliament,” said Clare Curran.</p>