Heatley’s Resignation Provides Opportunity To Abolish Housing Ministry

Libertarianz leader Richard McGrath today praised cabinet minister Phil Heatley “for acting honourably” in the wake of revelations about misuse of his ministerial credit card.

Dr McGrath said the long wait was over for a National Party MP to act in accordance with commonly accepted principles of honesty and responsibility.

“Perhaps now that Mr Heatley has demonstrated a shred of decency, Bill English may wish to reconsider whether he should have at least offered to resign, after taking a thousand dollars a week from the taxpayer to fund his million dollar home in Karori - with his wife already earning a comfortable income as a doctor.”

“The Libertarianz Party commends Mr Heatley. He has raised the bar for his cabinet colleagues. No longer will it be acceptable to brazenly ignore public opinion and standards of common decency in the manner of Mr English.”

“Libertarianz also throws out a challenge to John Key: abolish Mr Heatley’s former portfolio of housing immediately, and allow the free market to regulate the supply of rental and owner-occupied residential accommodation. And allow the Ministry of Fisheries to wind down by allocating tradeable property rights in those areas of the ocean formerly run by the state.”

Dr McGrath said a Libertarianz government would abolish all perks for MPs, and would expect them to be remunerated by their own political parties, thus saving taxpayers several million dollars.

ENDS

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