Nats slam new spending rules as a failure

Long-awaited new parliamentary spending rules have failed to crack down on electioneering spending and would once again see taxpayers footing the bill for publicity such as Labour's $440,000 pledge card, says National.

And as long as such publicity has pre-approval from parliamentary bureaucrats, in future there would be an explicit exemption from paying the money back.

The rules, gazetted by parliamentary Speaker Margaret Wilson and which take effect on December 1, fail to introduce any tougher definitions on what constitutes "electioneering", and therefore is disallowed spending.

National MP Gerry Brownlee said the new rules would give incumbent MPs a huge and unfair advantage.

"What it means is that the pledge card, which cost Labour $440,000 last time, will be paid for by the taxpayer this time quite legally. Officially, we don't have state-funded political parties in New Zealand, but this is a very serious step down that road," he said.

The new spending rules include a clause that says if an MP or a party seeks pre-approval for spending on publicity from Parliamentary Services, they are "not liable to reimburse the cost of the publicity if it is subsequently found that the publicity does not comply" with spending rules.

Wilson said she was unable to change the definition of what "electioneering" was, as that was contained in over-arching legislation under which parliament operated. She refused to say whether the pledge card would be legal under the new spending rules.

However, the Sunday Star-Times has learned Labour is poised to push through new legislation with support from smaller parties that will simply continue the definition of "electioneering" that retrospectively legalised the pledge card and other publicity highlighted by Auditor-General Kevin Brady.

The Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill will define electioneering in a way that is "substantively the same" as is currently in place, according to a briefing note on the bill obtained by the Star-Times. Current legislation expires on December 31 and the new bill will itself expire on June 30, 2009, just months short of the next election.

Labour and National have been at loggerheads on how to respond to the issues Brady raised, with National refusing to agree to the rollover proposed by Labour.

Leader of the House Michael Cullen refused to comment on the new bill but said through a spokesman that Labour had consulted all the parties, "and that we're going to get a bill passed before the end of the year that will give the certainty that everyone needs".

Last election, Brady complained of "significant amounts of newspaper advertising" by some parties in the last week before the election paid for by parliament. Asked whether this would be allowed again, Wilson said: "If it's for an electioneering purpose, it won't be permitted. If it's for a policy purpose, yes it will be and that's where the line comes." It was part of MPs jobs "to let people know their policies, and principles and what they stand for".

Assistant Auditor-General Nicola White said the new parliamentary rules were "a good beginning".

"The proof of the pudding will be on how they operate over the next year or so I guess. It seems to me that the directions themselves are a very good start ..."

Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday refused to comment on the new rules, saying she had not read them. Asked if Labour would again print a pledge card, she said, "that will be a matter for those who advise us on our communications".

- © Fairfax NZ News