The Hon Richard Prebble said today that he had been read a press statement from Acting Prime Minister Jim Anderton claiming he had filled out an enrolment card for Wellington Central on 15 October this year and was therefore claiming a wrongful allowance for Wellington.

“The Acting Prime Minister’s statement is wrong and defamatory. I filled out no enrolment card this year giving a Wellington address, so he must be referring to my enrolment address of 43 Tinakori Rd.

“I do not live in Tinakori Rd and certainly didn’t on 15 October. I have given my address to Parliamentary Services as my family home in Titirangi Rd, Auckland.

“Following the election I decided to move to Auckland where my family are, and give Wellington politics a rest for a year. While I still love Wellington and support the Hurricanes, I have been living at my Titirangi Rd home.

“If Mr Anderton had done his homework as he has claimed he could have easily walked to 43 Tinakori Rd and seen for himself that I was not living there. And if he bothered to call me to ascertain the facts I would have told him that I now lived in Titirangi Rd.

“I am so angry to discover that it appears his candidate, who vilified me as a ‘carpet bagger’, was in fact double dipping, and that it appears the Labour candidate, whom he personally thanked, was too.

“I challenge Acting Prime Minister Jim Anderton to set up an independent inquiry to get to the bottom of this matter. I welcome any investigation into my electoral affairs as I have absolutely no doubt that I have done nothing wrong.

“I am now considering moving back to Wellington Central to run against them both as the only honest candidate,” Hon Richard Prebble.

ENDS

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