Don Brash accepted as ACT leader

VERNON SMALL AND SARAH HARVEY

The ACT party has unanimously accepted Don Brash as its leader in a meeting held today.

Brash, speaking to Stuff this afternoon, said the ACT party board met at a private location in Auckland today where they first ratified his membership to the party. The board then adjourned for a short time to allow the five member caucus to vote on the leadership, which they did unanimously.

The board then reconvened to ratify the leadership.

Brash said he was thrilled with the formalisation of his leadership.

''From my point of view that is very encouraging indeed.''

The ACT party caucus, including Brash, will meet on Tuesday. Brash said the  main issues he was promoting would carry on from those already promoted by the party.

''The ACT party has been very much concerned for some time with the level of Government spending, the level of Government borrowing, the way in which the Government is ignoring the one law for all platform which they ran on previously, the ETS.

''All of those issues are very important for the ACT party and very important for me as well, so we very much see eye to eye.

''I have had lengthy discussions with several of the caucus members, and will have another discussion with one of them this afternoon so I can get a clear understanding of where they see things going and some background on the issues that are currently on the table.''

Brash said he would be discussing with Prime Minister John Key at some stage what would be happening with ousted leader Rodney Hide but he was looking forward to spending some time with his family this evening.

''I haven't seen them for a while,'' he said.

Brash took over from ousted leader Rodney Hide in a coup which had its finale, in the form of a press conference, on Thursday.

Hide's future as a minister will be decided early next week as Brash moves to stamp his mark on the party.

Brash held informal talks with caucus members over dinner and breakfast yesterday, and it is understood he wants to strip Hide of his portfolios, which include Local Government.

He planned to talk to Key about ministerial roles early next week, after the Prime Minister returned from London.

Speaking about his own prospects of being a minister after the election, Brash said that would come down to the votes.

Key has said it was "highly unlikely" Brash would be given the top jobs of deputy prime minister or finance minister.

"Clearly if we have four or five MPs I would be very surprised indeed if he was tempted to do that," Dr Brash said.

"If we have a substantial number more than that, the ball game changes."

He was not specifically seeking the finance role, but highlighted economic growth, controlling the Budget deficit and constitutional matters arising from the Treaty as high priorities for ACT.

"Those are the important issues and what portfolios if any will have to be determined."

He had an open mind on ACT sitting on the cross benches outside a coalition.

Because Brash will lead ACT from outside Parliament, one major issue will be determining who will lead the party in the House.

That is likely to be a role for the deputy, currently John Boscawen, but former deputy Heather Roy was a strong supporter of the Brash coup.

"I don't want to judge anything in advance. I want to give everyone the chance to express their views,"  Brash said.
Party president Chris Simmons, who said he intended to stay on as president despite strong criticisms of Brash before the coup, said the leader in the House was a matter for caucus.

"I think the caucus is working towards the fact that the deputy leader will be the leader of the House."

No board members had indicated they planned to leave, he said. His own attacks on Brash, including that he was old, grumpy and ego-driven, were down to high emotions at the time.

"Everybody is fully supportive of the direction that we are heading in now."

Asked if he was happy for Simmons to continue, Brash said that was a matter for another day. But he was pleased to hear he wanted to stay.

Meanwhile, Brash yesterday said he would quit the board of state-owned national grid operator Transpower in line with the requirements applying to candidates for political office.

He would also step down from the board of the ANZ Bank.

However he would retain directorships in his family trust holdings and in a South Canterbury company seeking consents to build a milk processing plant.

- © Fairfax NZ News