Editorial: Not a good look - again

OPINION: National MP Phil Heatley has had a horror week, but he finally got one thing right yesterday when he resigned as a minister.

The Whangarei MP and housing and fisheries minister had no choice but to quit after more revelations emerged about his credit card spending. He did the honourable thing by falling on his sword and retiring to the back bench. Mr Heatley was undone by two bottles of wine which he paid for on his ministerial credit card and claimed were food and beverages. This came on top of more than $1000 of other spending on his family which he put on the Government credit card, but was not entitled to. Just how he could have got to such a senior position in the National Government with such a limited understanding of his responsibilities is astounding.

Anyone who has access to a corporate credit card would know that they are not, under any circumstances, for personal use, even if you intend to pay the money back. When you factor in that Mr Heatley operated in the goldfish bowl of politics, and his expenses were open to both public and opposition scrutiny, his actions look naive and inept at best. If he could not get his brain around how to appropriately use his parliamentary credit card, it begs the question of whether he was up to the task of two busy and important ministerial portfolios.

His resignation leaves a question mark over the head of Gerry Brownlee, who is a key member of Prime Minister John Key's front bench team.

Mr Brownlee abused his credit card by shouting lunch for his electoral workers. While Mr Brownlee's mistake was much less grave than Mr Heatley's, his actions show that his judgement is suspect. Mr Brownlee's admission is even more startling given he is one of the most senior MPs who should know the rules inside out and back to front.

Mr Key will no doubt be reading his MPs the riot act – again.

MPs must be above reproach. They must be honest and have integrity. The public has voted them into a position of incredible privilege. If they abuse that privilege, they have to go.

The credit card scandal adds to a growing suspicion that there is more than a hint of sleaze about this Government.

In June last year Richard Worth resigned as a minister of a string of problems which all added up to make his position as a minister untenable. Finance Minister Bill English will long be blighted by the revelations about his double-dipping on accommodation expenses. His actions were unforgivable, and have never really been satisfactorily explained away. He will go down in history as the man who described his accommodation claims as "not a good look."

Mr Key has made it clear that this latest episode is not good enough. He's right.

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