On 6 September 2005, the National Party spokeswoman for social welfare, Judith Collins, was reported by The Press as saying this:
“National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins is calling on Labour to deny an e-mail which confirms the true state of unemployment is being hidden from the public.
“A long-serving staffer at Work and Income recently wrote to me to expose what they described as ‘distorted unemployment figures’.”
The e-mail says: ‘I witnessed case managers transferring their unemployed clients to Sickness Benefit from the Unemployed Benefit. Of course this shows movement off the Unemployed Benefit, but what concerns me is that WINZ was taking credit for a reduction in unemployment, yet it was never noted that clients were just being moved from one benefit to another. And it's still happening’.
“Labour has repeatedly assured us that this is not happening because it suits their own political ends. But the reality is that there has been an explosion in the Sickness and Invalids Benefits under Labour.
“Numbers on the Sickness and Invalids Benefits have risen more than 40% since 1999, to 121,000. Yet in the last two years of the previous National Government, the number of community wage (sickness) beneficiaries had been decreasing.
“National is calling on other concerned Work and Income staffers to expose the rort which is being quietly condoned by Labour,” says Ms Collins.”
Ends
She and her government, formed after the 2008 election, did nothing. But pretended ahead of it that it was going to do something.
To wit:
“Thank you for your letter of 30 June 2006. ln short, Ms Collins has not, nor will not resile from corrupt practices within any government department or State Owned Enterprise investigated by an independent body' Additionally, she has retained the information you initially provided to her as well as copies of the documents that you left with her colleague John Key.
Please excuse her silence on this matter; it is not a case of intentionally ignoring you or your requests. The information you have provided must be used carefully in order to ensure that a thorough and comprehensive investigation by an independent body be conducted. Any ill-considered use of the documents and your own investigations may result in nothing more than another internal inquiry that whitewashes the issue.
Yours sincerely
Anthony Bates
Executive Assistant
Judith Collins
MP Clevedon
In April 2013, I asked this:
“I am seeking copies of all documents relating to your (Judith Collins’) sundry promises/intentions/proposed actions/whims
- described in the attached documents - to conduct an investigation into the Ministry of Social Development.
I am assuming, of course, that one was done.”
Her assistant replied with this:
“I am declining your request because the Hon. Judith Collins was not a minister as the time “
… and was thus presumably exempt from saying anything vaguely resembling the truth.
With which is how she sloughed off any faint semblance of accountability, knowing full well that the Official Information Act did not apply to the vagaries of politicians speaking porkies from the wilderness of Opposition.
One wonders whether anything she or her government says is to be believed. There is much more recent evidence to prove they are not. And that Paula Bennett continues in the happily ignorant and well-trodden footsteps of her predecessor, Steve (it’s-an-operational-matter) Maharey. (Bennett doesn’t bother to answer OIAs at all.)
What, if anything, has changed at MSD? Are they still manufacturing the numbers Collins was convinced they were? Why would we imagine not?
Such is the political expedience of happily-contrived outcomes.
The Ombudsmen, with almost palpable sorrow, said this:
“I appreciate that you continue to have concerns, but an Ombudsman is only able to do what the law allows, and in this case, does not appear to have jurisdiction to investigate…”
Which leaves the question: Who does? Or can members of parliament publicly announce whatever they fancy when the climate in opposition deems it useful? Then, when in power, ignore their own announcements? Unless, of course, they are Aaron Gilmore.
This woman is supposed to be the Minister of Justice. Which insinuates some faint modicum of probity and/or rectitude.
But she is the woman who has shown contempt for the wishes of the New Zealand public to change the MMP electoral system. What do a few more political lies mean to such a woman and the .... whatever
The Omdusmen could do no better
27 May 2013
Chief Ombudsman
Office of the Ombudsmen
PO Box 10-152
WELLINGTON
Attention: Alex Shroder
Dear Madam
Thank you for your letter (ref: 357696) of 10 May.
It seems there is a flaw in the OIA that allows elected public officials in opposition to bat away their obligations. And I am sure there would be no appetite by any party for such a convenience to be removed by legislation.
Thus Collins gets out of jail.
However, in the process of exculpating herself from any responsibility, Collins and her co-minister, Paula Bennett (see attached email), finally settled on the expedient of passing the buck to Brendan Boyle, CEO of the Ministry of Social Development.
It seems that Boyle does not want this particular buck. It would have landed on his desk in early April and it is now late May. No dividend. No response.
That seems to be ground for yet another complaint under the Official Information Act.
Which I duly make.
Yours sincerely