Labour pledges a more accountable government

Labour leader David Cunliffe says the public’s faith in government has been undermined. Michael Fox reports.

Labour is promising to increase the ability of the public to hold the Government to account by strengthening watchdog powers and the Cabinet Manual.

It is also promising a code of ethics for MPs, to drop the so-called coat-tailing provision and to increase the oversight of New Zealand’s intelligence agencies.

The policy is partly a response to Prime Minister John Key’s refusal to release official advice which he says cleared former justice minister Judith Collins of any wrongdoing over dining with Oravida executives on an official trip to China. Labour says it would publish such advice.

The policy released yesterday comes on the back of the Dirty Politics scandal, with Labour leader David Cunliffe saying the public’s faith in government had been undermined and needed to be addressed. ‘‘The health of any democracy is improved by greater participation of its people,’’ Cunliffe said.

A ‘‘robust and good government’’ required voters have full confidence in its checks and balances.

‘‘Unfortunately, increasing numbers of New Zealanders no longer have faith in our democratic processes, do not believe politics is practised ethically and want greater transparency.’’

Cunliffe reiterated that if elected Labour would implement a full commission of inquiry to look into concerns raised by Nicky Hager’s book, Dirty Politics, and information released subsequently by hacker Rawshark.

NZ First leader Winston Peters, shaping up as a potential kingmaker, has also said such an inquiry would be a bottom line for his support.

Key says such a wide-ranging inquiry is not needed. Instead, he has ordered an inquiry that will focus solely on allegations that Collins was in 2011 seeking to undermine Adam Feeley, who was then head of the Serious Fraud Office for which she was responsible.

Collins denies the allegations, prompted by the release of an email written by blogger Cameron Slater in which he suggested Collins was digging for dirt on Feeley.

Critics, including Labour and the Greens, have said the Governmentordered inquiry does not go far enough.

Labour has asked police to look into the allegations that led to Collins’ resignation.

The watchdog of spy agency Security Intelligence Service is investigating why Slater was given declassified information, which the agency refused to give to other media, and which embarrassed former Labour leader Phil Goff.

Dirty Politics suggested Slater had been tipped off by a member of Key’s office about the information.

Cunliffe said Labour would strengthen the powers of the ombudsman and the rules of the Cabinet Manual, which govern the behaviour of ministers, to prevent the misuse of official information and powers to attack critics and private citizens.

The ombudsman would also receive greater powers to ensure officials adhered to the rules and timelines governing the release of official information and to proactively release more of it.

The Chief Ombudsman has already announced a review of the way official information requests are handled by government departments.

Labour would also abolish the coattailing provision, which allows parties that win an electorate seat to take more than that one MP into Parliament despite not meeting the 5 per cent threshold, and to lower that threshold to 4 per cent.

It also wants to add civics to the school curriculum and to televise select committee hearings.

David Cunliffe was forced to clarify the Labour Party’s tax policy after being unable to recall details in Tuesday night’s leaders debate with John Key. knew more about Labour’s policy than Cunliffe did.

‘‘They don’t know how it works, or you could drive a bus through it,’’ Key said.

‘‘Labour’s been working on this policy for five years and David Cunliffe was finance spokesman when it was developed so it’s a bit worrying for everybody, his supporters and everyone who’s expected to pay for it that he just doesn’t know how the policy works.’’

Key said he understood that family homes in trusts were covered by capital gains tax in several jurisdictions.

‘‘So today they’re now telling us: ‘Oh well, maybe holiday homes are exempt and maybe this other thing is exempt’. Any tax lawyer will tell you that thing is a mess,’’ Key said.

‘‘It will have to be surrounded by regulations from hell and even the leader of the party, David Cunliffe, couldn’t answer the simple question, is your family home in or out, he couldn’t give us an answer.’’

Key said the IMF might advise the creation of a comprehensive CGT, but there were questions as to whether one was needed when the Crown books were in surplus.