Smith Nick: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Smith Nick: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:643;Page:13211] 
12.  
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) 
 to the  
Minister for the Environment 
: Was the Ministry for the Environment influenced in its decision to employ Labour Party activist Clare Curran for strategic communications and advice on climate change by the recommendation of Minister Hon David Parker and on what terms was she employed? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister for the Environment) 
: 
 I apologise for the length of this answer but members will understand that it is important to get this right. I am advised that there had been a discussion between the Ministry for the Environment and Ms Curran months before she was engaged by the ministry. I am advised that during this discussion Ms Curran outlined her previous experience working for the Australian Government to provide strategic communications advice on climate change. I am advised that after the ministry had indicated that it was actively seeking further communications advice on climate change Ms Curran was suggested as a possibility by David Parker because of her previous experience in this field. The ministry then met again with Ms Curran and inquired further as to her experience and as a result she was engaged for 200 hours at $120 an hour for a contract that ran from 22 May 2006 until 28 July 2006. I should point out to people who have made errors in this area that this was approximately a year before the Setchell debacle. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Is it not a case of blatant cronyism and politicisation of the Public Service when in May last year Clare Curran presented a paper to the Labour Party conference stating that it needs to change the language of debate if it is to win the next election when David Parker then commended her employment to the ministry and then miraculously the next month she was awarded a contract for strategic communications and when it was then made worse by his misleading the House last Thursday by stating that the contract was subject to three independent quotes when this was not true and the contract was let in breach of the ministry’s own operating policy? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I will take the first question and say yes it is not evidence and I will take the last question and say that it was in breach of the operating policy. That policy does have a fast-track approach whereby a senior—[ 
Interruption 
] I am actually trying to help the member. There is a fast-track authority method that could have been used quite properly in this case and it was not. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Why when the Local Government and Environment Committee asked: “Has the ministry had contracted any consultants or contractors to provide communications media or public relations advice; if so who for what purpose and when?” did his ministry provide a list of 25 such contracts but contrary to the advice he has just given the House as to when Clare Curran was in its employ in July 2006 it did not include the contract from Clare Curran? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Madam Speaker— 
David Bennett 
: Go to the backbench now. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Well that member will always be an Opposition backbencher probably until the point when Sue Moroney beats him in his seat. It is my understanding that the contract was declared in the year that the contract was entered into. If that is not correct then I will inform the member. Otherwise the member should remember too that she was contracted under a company name not under her own name. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Why did his ministry in response to another question from the Local Government and Environment Committee this year a request that “for each consultant or contractor engaged and paid more than $10000 or for which $10000 is budgeted to be spent in the current financial year provide the name type details budget date etc.” provide a list of 197 contracts but just conveniently exclude the most politically sensitive contract to Clare Curran; and is this just another example of Labour covering up its dodgy dealings with the Public Service? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Because neither was she engaged nor was $10000 spent in that year. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I just note that the Minister told the House that Clare Curran was employed through to 28 July 2006 which includes the financial year so I seek leave to table the two questions that were specifically asked by the Local Government and Environment Committee both on communications contracts and on more general contracts as well as the answers that were provided by the ministry. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table those documents. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection.