Curran under fire over party booklet drop

Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister Clare Curran has urged people to report...
A member of Clare Curran's staff had taken the booklets to MSD's Dunedin South office for consideration for being put on display. Photo: File
Dunedin South MP Clare Curran came under fire again in Parliament today over Labour Party booklets being left in Ministry of Social Development sites in her electorate.


Government departments and agencies are apolitical, and party material should not have been left in MSD sites in Dunedin and Mosgiel, National social development spokeswoman Louise Upston said.

Ms Curran said the booklets were purely informational, and advised of services available for people aged over 60.

They had been left with local MSD staff for their consideration - "to be used as appropriate, is what my staff member has told me, and that's as far as it went'' - and MSD had seemingly then put them on display, Ms Curran said.

Ms Upton raised the issue at Parliament during Question Time today, asking Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni how the booklets came to be distributed.

Ms Sepuloni said her office had been advised of them on November 20 and they were removed the next day.

"It is great we're having this conversation in the House,'' she said.

"Everyone now knows that even if it is Parliamentary-crested information, if it has a political logo on it, it is not appropriate to leave it in a government agency.''

Ms Curran, the Labour MP for Dunedin South for 10 years, was made a Cabinet Minister when Labour took office.

However, she resigned in September after controversies surrounding undiaried meetings and the use of her personal email address for Parliamentary business.

Ms Upston said as a former Cabinet Minister, Ms Curran should have known that the Labour-branded booklets should not have been put in an MSD office.

Ms Curran said the booklets had a huge amount of useful information in them, and anyone who wanted one was welcome to ask for one.

"I think it's really useful and it's doing the job of a good MP and a good MP's office, to let the community know what they are entitled to and keep them well and healthy.'' 

mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz 

Comments

They are really gunning for Clare- an MP who is trying her best for her community. Do the Nats have a spy at every corner -what a great cartoon that would be. On 2nd thoughts ODT, perhaps you are helping it along by creating headlines like this. It not a major issue and neither was the previous transgression. Let's get our priorities right here. The National Party need a distraction from it own major issues me thinks.

 

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