Expenses-leak probe deepens
Fingers are being pointed all over the parliamentary precinct as to who might have revealed Bridges’ details
Ppolitics arliament’s Speaker Trevor Mallard will consider whether a further, forensic examination is needed of a document containing details of National Leader Simon Bridges’ expenses that was leaked to the media.
Mallard is looking at who the expenses, due to be released publicly soon, were given to after details of Bridges’ expenses were leaked to Newshub.
It was reported that Bridges’ accommodation and travel for the last quarter totalled more than $100,000, the majority of it on Crown limousines. Fingers are being pointed all over the parliamentary precinct as to who might be behind the leak.
Mallard told reporters yesterday that the document was not in the same format as that given to the parliamentary library or to his office.
“I have indicated that to a number of parties and am going to take 24 hours and take soundings about whether there needs to be a further, forensic examination as to the source of the document which was used last night,” Mallard said.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters was clear where he thought the leak had come from, saying that of the 56 members of the National Party caucus, 55 of them were suspect.
“They’re the ones who would know, not us. We never see that information, nor any other party. No party is getting any other party’s information on that matter,” he told reporters.
“It just shows you that the happy family that they portray themselves [as] is not quite true.”
Bridges stopped short of blaming the Government directly but said it was looking for distractions from its own problems.
“I think you’ve got to say the Government is looking for every distraction they can rather than focusing on the things they should be — plummeting business confidence, economy in downturn, strikes.”
He was sure it was not one of his own MPs, although he did confirm that all of them did receive the information. “It isn’t National, I’m very confident about that.”
He was pleased Mallard was looking into it. “It’s good to see Trevor Mallard’s doing an inquiry and we’ll see what happens.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has denied any of her MPs were involved.
“We’ve sought assurances from Ministerial Services who manage this information, that none of the opposition’s numbers were shared with anyone but them and they’ve given us that assurance.”
Ardern said she could categorically rule out anyone in Labour having access to the information, including the Whips.
“The only groups, as I understand, who will have had access are the opposition themselves and the Speaker,” she told reporters.
Bridges has defended the amount of money spent on his accommodation and travel, saying he was getting out and understanding the concerns of regional New Zealand.
Earlier, Ardern said that when she saw her expenses after first becoming party leader, she was surprised how high the figure for surface travel was.
“I remember wanting to change my behaviour as a result of that . . . some of the figures can be extraordinary . . . . It certainly threw me the first time that happened,” she told Newstalk ZB.
Ardern’s surface travel for the first quarter, which included her time as opposition leader, totalled $82,795.