Minister criticised over reaction to pamphlets

PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

SCHEME WORKING: Oamaru-based Summit Wool Spinners yesterday joined the taxpayer-subsidised nine-day fortnight scheme, saving 57 jobs, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said.

Relevant offers

Politics

Brownlee turns up heat on council over rebuild Agency mulled to run emergency 111 system MPs' travel bills leap during election Remedial work for navy's problem ship Wait for new oil law before awarding permits, Govt urged TVNZ included in police Electoral Act investigation Sea law 'an environmental risk' Govt defends 50c an hour minimum wage lift Maori queue-jumping for SOEs raised More claims about PM's man and doco funding

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has been called "precious" for her reaction to Labour Party pamphlets being distributed at a regional jobs summit.

Ms Bennett wrote to Labour leader Phil Goff expressing disappointment that his MP, Clare Curran, had "placed Labour Party material on the attendees' seats" at a summit in Dunedin yesterday.

She said it was "petty politicking". Labour had had nine years to push its policies, and the pamphlet drop was a desperate attempt by Labour to be relevant.

However, Mr Goff said the material distributed was about insulation upgrades in homes and directly related to creating employment.

"I though the jobs summit was about the exchange of ideas on how to create and to preserve jobs," he told Radio New Zealand today.

Labour had turned up in good faith, he said.

"All groups that come along there should be welcomed. . .what we've heard from Paula is that she rejects this idea or rejects the fact that the idea was brought forward by the Labour Party."

He told Ms Bennett she shouldn't be "arrogant or precious" about it.

- NZPA