A senior Cabinet minister collecting $1000 a week to live in her own Wellington apartment is digging in, saying she's "followed the rules" and is "comfortable" with them.
MPs' benefits are in the spotlight after Stuff last week drew attention to the situation of Social Development Minister Louise Upston who collects $52,000 a year to live in a Wellington home that the pecuniary interests register shows has no personal mortgage on.
Upston is the minister responsible for lifting the eligibility threshold for homeowners claiming an accommodation supplement, which was part of legislation that passed its first reading last week.
Among other changes, the legislation lifts the threshold for homeowners to receive support, meaning they must contribute at least 40% of their income to housing costs, up from 30% now.
At the time, Upston told Parliament the change would support "fiscal sustainability" by "better targeting financial assistance to those most in need".
Today, ahead of Question Time, Upston did not resile from her allowance benefits.
"I have followed the rules, and I have followed the rules in my pecuniary interest register, and I'm not going to say anything else on the matter, because I've answered multiple questions on multiple days, and I'm comfortable that I'm approaching it no differently than other MPs and other ministers in this Parliament and in previous Parliaments," she said.
Asked if the rules entitling her to $1000 a week were right in this tight economic climate, Upston replied: "I'm comfortable with the rules".
"If other parties in Parliament aren't, that's a matter for them.
"If they're not comfortable with it, then I would suggest their MPs would stop claiming any allowances or expenses."
Upston says she has costs associated with her housing and "as someone who works away from home, it's not surprising that we get our housing costs covered".
The minister would not go into what those costs were, but confirmed any mortgages she had would be on the pecuniary interests register.
There are no mortgages on her register for a Wellington abode.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz |  |
