Shirley Ken: Urgent Debates — Immigration Service—Ombudsman’s Report 
Shirley Ken: Urgent Debates — Immigration Service—Ombudsman’s Report 
[Volume:615;Page:11395] 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY (Deputy Leader—ACT) 
: 
 On behalf of the ACT party I would like to join with other Opposition parties in Parliament this afternoon and express our outrage when we find the contents of this report of the Ombudsman to Parliament—a report upon the actions of the Department of Labour—with regard to an Official Information Act complaint by Sarah Boyle of the office of the Leader of the Opposition. I would like to commend Murray McCully who took up the cudgels in this case and pursued it and ensured that this Government was not able to just sweep it under the carpet as is its wont. I believe that Murray McCully has done a very good job. Really what we see in this Ombudsman’s report vindicates the position that he was calling for from the outset. In fact all Opposition parties were saying that we needed an independent inquiry. 
Did we get it? No we did not. This Government has developed a culture of cover-up. Is it any wonder that the Government departments take their lead from the Government? That is the culture it is instilling in our public service. That is the real threat and the real regret that we should all have. It was not long ago that New Zealand rated right up the top of international ratings for being corruption-free. We were right up at the top. It was recognised that the integrity and honesty of our Parliament our politicians our public servants and the public sector at large was the best there was in the world. We have slid down that ranking and we should be asking ourselves why. It is because of reports like this. It is because of Ministers telling lies to the public of New Zealand. Sure they lost their job but what it really does is erode the integrity the honesty and the standing of the public sector at large. 
When we have elected representatives who tell lies we have a problem. We have Government departments that take their lead from politicians and start misleading or spinning to the point where the facts are muddled. The Ombudsman used a wonderful word in his report: dissemblers—dissemblers of the truth is what he said. That is damning language from any Ombudsman to call public officials dissemblers of the truth. But that is exactly what the Minister of this same department under investigation did. She dissembled the truth. She deliberately misled. She lied to us in this Chamber and lied to the people of New Zealand. Sure she lost her job. She should have lost her job. 
We know that the Prime Minister had this report when she fired Lianne Dalziel. In other words she knew that she could not cover it. Her first instincts were to try to protect Lianne Dalziel. The Prime Minister herself engaged in a cover-up. Her first instincts were to join in this culture of cover-up and sweep it under the carpet. It was only later in that week when she learnt this report from the Ombudsman totally blew the veracity of the Minister and the officials that we saw this double backflip. We had a double backflip from the Prime Minister on this issue. And we have seen a number of double backflips from the Prime Minister. I think she should join our gymnastics team in Athens with the way she has been behaving in recent times. 
Pita Paraone 
: We want to win gold. 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY 
: Yes perhaps we will keep her out of the gymnastics team. But certainly in terms of double backflips this Prime Minister and this Government are lowering the standards to something that is totally unacceptable. 
I would also like to commend the thoroughness of the Ombudsman’s report. Mel Smith is unquestionably being tested in doing this work and he has passed the test. He did not buckle or sweep it under the table. He has put it in very clear language and he must be commended for that. But there are serious concerns when it is known that officials Mr Lockhart and Mr Ian Smith—not to be confused with Mr Mel Smith the Ombudsman—are both in serious trouble; as is I believe the head of that department James Buwalda. He had the opportunity to call for an independent inquiry and it was suggested that he should. Opposition members made it quite clear that that was the standard we expected. But oh no he said: “Leave it all to me. I will do an internal inquiry and all will be fine.” and he reported back that essentially all was fine. 
Well it is now known that it was not fine and I believe that Mr Buwalda has done himself serious damage. Who tests the heads of departments? It is the head of the State Services Commission Mr Wintringham. But unfortunately in this instance Mr Wintringham does not come out in a very good light because he also strongly resisted the proposals that we should have an independent inquiry. He did not want an independent inquiry into his public service so he resisted that. 
I think there are lessons in this report from the Ombudsman for many people from the Prime Minister down because it becomes a culture. I am seeing it with this Government and the country is seeing it with this Government. Its spin and distortion of the truth and its propensity to mislead is starting to erode and corrode the trust that the people of New Zealand have in it but also moreover the integrity of our public sector at large. I observe that the Prime Minister with the “paintergate” affair was a classic example—signing a painting that she did not paint initially trying to pretend that she had and then saying: “Oh it does not really matter.” Actually those things are not little things. 
Hon Rick Barker 
: Talk about immigration— 
Hon KEN SHIRLEY 
: Those things do matter I say to Mr Barker. They do matter. Honesty truth and trust cannot be compartmentalised. They are absolutes and this Government is failing the test at every turn. 
Now I was somewhat disappointed in this debate with the new Minister Paul Swain. He is fresh to job—an action man on the spot who will sort it all out read the recommendations follow them and sort it all out. But what did he do in this debate? All he did was attack the messenger Murray McCully. He spent most of his speech attacking the messenger. Is that a Minister or a Government that is listening and responding to the recommendations of the Ombudsman? I do not think so. His natural instincts which he gets from the culture of his Cabinet and his Prime Minister is to spin it and try to mislead obfuscate and pretend that some other truth prevails. That is what he did in this very debate and I certainly found that very disappointing. I am sure other Opposition members would have found that very disappointing. 
I say to the Minister that it is not an acceptable standard. The Minister cannot try to blame the messenger. When one is caught out like this one has to admit it front up and do something about it. That is the harsh reality. I think this Government is in trouble. The public of New Zealand think this Government is in trouble and all its spin doctoring is not working for it any more.