Gerry Brownlee MP
National Party Deputy Leader

30 March 2006

Farcical governing arrangements on display

National Party Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee wants to know whether Jeanette Fitzsimons will answer questions about the review of the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy that she co-announced today.

“Labour has a ridiculous arrangement whereby its support party gets extra funding through Ministerial Services even though no Greens are Ministers.

“Since the Greens are receiving taxpayer funding and resourcing, the public would expect Ms Fitzsimons to be in a position to answer formal written and oral questions about this portfolio.

“Labour can’t give the Greens a sneaky backhand payment and not expect them to be accountable for it.”

Mr Brownlee says the fact that Trevor Mallard was on hand for the announcement proves that the Government doesn’t have full confidence in their spokesperson.

“If Helen Clark doesn’t trust Ms Fitzsimons then she shouldn’t have appointed her, and the taxpayer shouldn’t be subsidising the income of her chief of staff.

“This is a shonky support arrangement that allows the Greens to collect extra taxpayer funding with none of the responsibility that goes with it,” says Mr Brownlee.

ENDS

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