Curran ClareCLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South): What a dark day for New Zealand when this Government thinks that being let off the hook on a Crimes Act test for corruption means that it has been exonerated. What a disgrace. What message is this Government and this Parliament sending to the New Zealand people? Well they have not been exonerated. This Government had not been exonerated in the minds of the New Zealand public today.In the second to last paragraph of the report today on the Saudi sheep debacle the outgoing Auditor-General said this: My final thought relates to transparency. New Zealand has worked hard to have an ethical and transparent public sector. Accusations of corruption and bribery should be of concern to us all. During my time as Auditor-General I have seen an increase in these accusations. None of my inquiries have upheld those accusations. However complacency is not an option. We should all continue to demand transparency in how our public resources have been used and what was achieved with our money. Transparency is the best foil for corruption."Well what is the state of transparency in New Zealand? This year New Zealand slipped down Transparency International's record to fourth place and as we know transparency is all about perception. In a report written by a board member of Transparency International New Zealand it was said: "It is impossible to actually measure real corruption—by its very nature corruption is somewhat hidden and intangible—and therefore other metrics are necessary as proxies. For example when Transparency International commissioned a survey of public opinion about corruption in New Zealand in 2013 it found that 65 per cent of New Zealanders said corruption had increased over the previous three years. Other surveys have also provided alarming evidence. The State Services Commission Integrity and Conduct Survey of 2013 found that 15 per cent of public servants 'reported observing illegal conduct in the previous 12 months'. And in 2011 a TVNZ poll asked: 'Is New Zealand the least corrupt country in the world?' with 57 per cent choosing the option 'No we're deluding ourselves'."If that poll were taken today what would the figure be in the New Zealand community? It would be a much higher rate than 57 percent which should be of concern to this Government—but no it thinks that being let off the hook for a Crimes Act test means that that is OK that that is an OK message to send to the New Zealand public. It is not an OK message to send to the New Zealand public. Paying lip service to transparency not listening and not paying attention to the requirements of accords that we sign up to such as the Open Government Partnership shutting down whistle-blowers intimidating people blaming public servants instead of taking responsibility as Ministers—all of those things are the pattern that this Government has shown over and over again. What message does that send to young people who are going through school and looking at politics and wondering whether they should vote? What message does that send to the public generally?It sends a message about a Government that is out of touch a Government that is not connected to its community and a Government that thinks that getting away with it means that it is OK. Is that the message that we want to send out there to our children to the voters of New Zealand? I do not think so.Carmel Sepuloni: It's a low bar.CLARE CURRAN: That is a low bar and this Government should be ashamed today and McCully should resign or be set aside."