Full Independent Inquiry Needed Into Govt's Handling Of Huawei

The Government must launch a full independent inquiry into the Government’s handling of Chinese company Huawei’s share of the $1.35 billion ultrafast broadband rollout after reports the United States Congress accused the company of bribery and spying, says Labour’s acting Communications and IT spokesperson David Cunliffe.

“Neither we nor the public can judge at this point the nature of the issues surrounding the company and it is important not to prejudge these.

“However US media reports surrounding the congressional inquiry being released today contain allegations of spying and corruption. If substantiated these claims would be of the most serious nature.

“What is critical for New Zealand is for the public to have confidence that our Government is fully on top of the issues and managing any risks. Labour has been raising concerns over this since March but the Government has brushed them aside.

Key questions that must be asked include

• What advice were they given and what did they ask for?
• What risks were identified?
• Why has Australia banned Huawei from the National Broadband Network contracts and why have we not followed suit?
• What action will be taken over the US Congress’s concerns?

“Labour has asked questions for months. These allegations on such a sensitive contract raise potential national security concerns. Kiwis have lost confidence in our intelligence agencies since the Dotcom saga so an independent investigation is needed.

“The United States is now urging potential Huawei customers to look elsewhere and the Australians are also limiting the company’s involvement. Kiwis need to know why we are taking a different approach. What do they know that we don’t?”