Brownlee Gerry: Offices of Parliament — Address to Governor-GeneralText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBrownlee Gerry: Offices of Parliament — Address to Governor-General[Sitting date: 15 April 2014. Volume:698;Page:17231. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House): I moveThat a respectful Address be presented to His Excellency the Governor-General commending to His Excellency the alterations to the appropriations for the 2013/14 financial year in respect of Vote Audit Vote Ombudsmen and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and the appropriations and information for the 2014/15 financial year in respect of Vote Audit Vote Ombudsmen and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.These organisations are important bodies that are funded through the public vote but are able to provide independent assurance to all of those who have an interest in the areas in which they are active.The Office of the Ombudsmen is currently represented by two Ombudsmen: Dame BeverleyWakem and Professor Ron Paterson. They were appointed in 2005 and 2013 respectively and they continue an office that since 1962 has acted as an independent authority to help the community in its dealings with Government agencies. The Ombudsmen’s department or operation handles a range of roles that go toward protecting the public’s rights in monitoring places of contention as well as other activities of a Government.There will be those who say that there has been such a significant increase in the activities of those offices over the last few years that perhaps there is some pressure on their funding. What I would say is that much of that work comes from Oppositionparties asking the Ombudsmen to look into activities of the Government which of itself is probably a demonstration of failure on their part as an Opposition to use the formal means of Parliament to be able to dig into these things and I think perhaps public support for those parties indicates the degree of futility that might be involved in some of those requests.The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright was sworn in as a commissioner in March 2007. She was reappointed for a second term in 2012. That office looks at a range of matters that relate to the environment quite independently and reports its findings. I think that over the years the commissioner has shown herself to have a high degree of independence not always putting herself in a position where public support is readily forthcoming. I would point to the courageous conclusions that she made in respect of 1080 and how it is effective in New Zealand. A lot of people would think that the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment might have found a different result. Although there are at times decisions that come from the commissioner that challenge everybody I think it is important that that independence is exercised in the way in which Dr Wright does.The Auditor-General’s office the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General is an extremely important body. Currently the Auditor-General is Lyn Provost. She was appointed in very recent times to that role. The office plays a big role in the assessment—the audit effectively—of all public accounts. It advises select committees in what they should be asking when it comes to either the estimates inquiries or the appropriations inquiries in front of Ministers and it is also available for other inquiries where public money is involved. It has in recent years been involved in uncovering some very very difficult circumstances that have existed and I can think of the case of the Rodney District Council in particular.Although the Auditor-General’s office has to come up with conclusions that are not necessarily easy for anyone to deal with it is appropriate that you have an independent body that is so highly focused so very tightly focused on public probity in all of these issues. Each of these votes represents value for money and I am sure that today notwithstanding the debate that I now expect to ensue Parliament will be supportive of this motion.