Invite rescinded for ‘bit player’ Bridges
Simon Bridges is smarting after he was invited to an infrastructure conference held by the Government’s Infrastructure Commission only for his invitation to be withdrawn after Shane Jones’ office became involved.
Bridges is now accusing Jones of politicising that process by keeping him away from an important conference during election year.
The ‘‘Infrastructure 2020: Looking Ahead’’ conference was organised by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, a government agency established to give certainty to infrastructure providers by creating a list of infrastructure projects the Government is confident it will build.
The pipeline is meant to be relatively non-partisan. National backed the commission through Parliament and has pledged to support it after the election.
‘‘Shane Jones has once again used his position as minister for highly political purposes,’’ Bridges said. But Jones was unapologetic. ‘‘For a mercifully brief period of time the prospect of Simon Bridges speaking hung by a thread and then a pair of secateurs came along and it was cut,’’ Jones said.
Bridges was not impressed. ‘‘Jones’ motives are often questionable – whether it is using his slush fund to buy votes or trying to silence other political parties in an election year,’’ he said.
Jones said it would be inappropriate for the opposition leader to speak, given the conference will be the setting for a Government announcement. Opposition leaders don’t typically attend Government announcements.
He told Bridges, via a written parliamentary question, that discussions with his staffers determined that ‘‘while it was appropriate to extend an invitation to the Opposition infrastructure spokesperson, it was not a suitable event for the Leader of the Opposition, Simon Bridges, to speak at [the conference]’’.
On January 16, the commission invited Bridges to speak at its infrastructure conference, which kicks off tomorrow.
‘‘We, and I am sure our audience of infrastructure stakeholders, would be most interested to hear the National Party position on infrastructure as we get the year, and the commission’s strategy development work under way,’’ the invitation said.
Documents released to National under the Official Information Act confirm the commission had initially pencilled in a speaking slot for Bridges.
But on January 21, one of Jones’ Beehive staffers raised concerns over Bridges’ invitation to speak. The schedule was amended, Bridges’ speaking slot removed and the invitation rescinded. Bridges’ office was told that while Bridges would not be welcome, National infrastructure spokesman Paul Goldsmith would be invited, although not to speak. ‘‘This was never a central casting opportunity for political bit players to get a starring role,’’ Jones said.