PM: Mallard’s conduct was inappropriate
WELLINGTON: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave Speaker Trevor Mallard a public dressingdown yesterday, saying his conduct in the House the previous night was ‘‘totally inappropriate’’.
She stopped short of heeding National and Act New Zealand’s call to sack Mr Mallard and said resignations would not resolve the underlying issues which led to Tuesday night’s debate.
The blame lay with everyone who participated in the session, she said — ‘‘noone, last night, covered themselves in glory’’.
Mr Mallard used the legal immunity of parliamentary privilege to claim a worker — whom he apologised to for falsely accusing of rape — committed sexual assault.
His rape claim previously led to a defamation payout of more than $300,000 to the worker.
Mr Mallard was acting in his capacity as Minister for Parliamentary Services, and was not chairing the session.
‘‘The serious issue of alleged sexual assault and harassment at Parliament was poorly managed and inappropriately politicised last night,’’ Ms Ardern said in a statement before addressing media yesterday.
‘‘Any investigation of claims of sexual assault should be in a manner that takes a victimcentric approach.
‘‘It also needs to include principles of natural justice for the person allegations are made against.’’
She said she had spoken to Mr Mallard about the matter and the Government and the Labour Party still had confidence in him as the Speaker.
Parliament had an obligation to the public, to victims and to people who worked in the precinct to ‘‘come together as a parliament and sort it out’’.
‘‘Resignations,’’ she said, ‘‘will not resolve that’’.
Ms Ardern also took aim at the Opposition.
Speaking to media yesterday, National Party leader Judith Collins was highly critical of Mr Mallard — her party has been trying to get rid of him as
Speaker for months.
She said Tuesday night was a ‘‘disgraceful display from the Speaker’’, and added that Ms Ardern had delivered Mallard a ‘‘slap on the wrist.
‘‘She should have given him the sack — it should be a don’t come in on Monday decision.’’
However, she was full of praise for her own MPs, who participated in Tuesday night’s debate, saying they conducted themselves strongly and ‘‘with courage’’.
‘‘I was very proud of the work that our team did, particularly Chris Bishop and Michael Woodhouse in standing up for principles that we would expect in Parliament.
‘‘What we need in Parliament is a speaker who can manage his, or her, emotions, to act in a professional manner and to bring back a degree of decorum in Parliament that has been sadly missing under his leadership.’’
Ms Ardern said she had written to the Speaker and Deputy and Assistant Speakers asking them to reconvene the crossparty working group to consider how the Behavioural Standards could be given practical effect when Members of Parliament were dealing with sensitive staff conduct matters such as sexual assault.