The Speaker has finally sounded the death knell on travel perks after almost 40 years of MPs enjoying taxpayer-subsidised flights for their private international trips and holidays.
Lockwood Smith announced last night that the perks giving MPs discounted international travel would no longer be available for them.
Although he has previously defended MPs' rights to discounted travel, he admitted he had "failed" to convince the public and said it was clear the political consensus was now for them to go.
"I think I had formed a view some days ago that change was inevitable."
However, he intended to set up a scheme to allow backbench and Opposition MPs to travel on parliamentary-related trips of their own initiative, rather than the limited opportunities for official travel.
He said the new scheme would have tight rules and was likely to require some personal contribution from MPs towards costs.
From the moment that John Key opined that MP's travel perks ought to go, Lockwood Smith's hands were tied. We'll wait and see what proposals he comes up with and what the Remuneration Authority recommends, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
10 comments:
A clever distraction from the hypocritical cheating stealing lying Government who seem to forget what they preached in opposition. Conservatives are the pits.
Anon, are you suggesting that the pack of tax, borrow & spend big-government socialists that are currently camped on the treasury benches are Conservatives? If so, you must be a product of the New Zealand public education system.
Nice to talk Gnatt Guy. (Is that Gnatt as in a buzzing distracting pest?) I'm a product of Christ's College and Oxford actually. Currently doing charity work for children's charities via way of philanthropy. My businesses include companies in the agriculture, packaging and education industries. My interests include classical piano and the V8 car racing. What do you get up to? I assume you were privately educated too based on your comment?
hang on. You say that Lockwood's 'hands are tied' and that once Key said "they must go", then they go...
Yet three weeks ago Key was saying we must have transparency and Lockwood was saying 'no they're private'...
So it doesn't really matter who's spinning shit as long as National smells like roses? Or your memory going?
Dr Manhattan.
No inconsistency there at all Dr Manhattan. Smith wanted to keep the last lot of info secret; Key told him that wasn't good enough, and he relented. Key said that perks had to go; Smith relented.
Key 2; Smith nil.
no, the other parties all released their expenditure costs while Key dithered about 'wanting transperancy'.... then Lockwood changed the rules back in the face of this revolt and so National released their figures.
Key does not lead, he follows.
Nice try at re-writing history there, but... fail.
Dr Manhattan.
Wrong Dr Manhattan. One of Key's first acts upon becoming leader was to lift the veil of secrecy over MP's expenses, and the first to fall foul of it was one of his own; Phil Heatley. But without Key starting the process, we would never have known about Anderton's $100k jaunt through Asia, Shane Jones' taste in movies, or Mita Ririnui's eye for a golfing bargain.
We don't have true Conservatives in govt, only Socialists. Conservatives went out with decent television programming.
Anon, I'd be asking for a refund from Christ's and Oxford. Clearly your reading is below NCEA standard. It's Gantt, which is easy to research, and the annoying insect has two spellings; the more common g-n-a-t or the occasional t-r-o-l-l.
Your ability to research basic terms could also use improving. Look up the term "Conservative" and find out what it means. The government of Neville Key and his travelling appeasement circus most certainly do *not* fit the definition.
Walked into that didn't you Gnaff. Wonderful to see you're so sincere. Blogging really needs more earnestness.
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