Dalziel admits error over letter

By KEVIN TAYLOR, political reporter

Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel has admitted misleading the public over the source of a leaked letter containing what National claims was privileged legal advice relating to a 16-year-old Sri Lankan girl deported last week.

The red-faced senior Cabinet minister said last night she had apologised to an unimpressed Prime Minister Helen Clark after denying on radio yesterday she had been the source of the leak and later saying that she was.

The admission brought calls from National for her resignation.

"I'm really disappointed with myself," Ms Dalziel told the Herald. "I've made mistakes before and hopefully I won't make too many in the future."

On Morning Report yesterday she denied putting the letter, which TV3 used in a story on Monday about the highly charged case, into the public arena. But later in Parliament she said a copy of the letter was given to TV3's parliamentary office on Monday by her press secretary, Juli Clausen, with her full knowledge.

Ms Dalziel has been on the offensive since Monday over the case, citing the letter as evidence of a "deliberate campaign of manipulation" of the public by the girl's lawyers.

Supporters and family have said the girl, who had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of uncles, would be in danger of being killed if deported back to Sri Lanka. But her bids to stay in New Zealand failed.

The letter, from the Refugee Status Appeals Authority to her lawyer Carole Curtis, outlined in handwritten notes a five-step approach to her case including a judicial review, going to the Commissioner for Children, going to the Prime Minister, and finally going to the media if all else failed.

Put to her that she had lied on Morning Report, Ms Dalziel said: "What I did was I allowed a misleading impression to be created and I am utterly remorseful for that. I am genuinely sorry that I did that. There is no excuse for that."

But Ms Dalziel said she did not regret making the document public.

Asked if the Prime Minister had reprimanded her, she said: "I'm aware that the Prime Minister is not happy, but I am not happy either.

"I feel that I have let myself down and I do feel that I have let the Government down with respect to not thinking before I spoke this morning."

National MP Judith Collins called for Ms Dalziel's resignation.

"I certainly can't understand how the Prime Minister would ever have confidence in her now. It was certainly not a minister who was being forthright."

Answering a parliamentary question yesterday, Ms Dalziel revealed the letter had been sent several months ago to Helen Clark's Mt Albert electorate office as the lawyers tried to garner support for her refugee status.

"One of the Mt Albert electorate agents faxed it through to my office last week. It was not brought to my attention at that time and it was re-faxed on Monday, which was the first time I have seen it. The Prime Minister was not aware of either the fact that the electorate office had the information or that they had sent it to me until I advised her of that this morning."

Ms Curtis last night denied sending the letter to Helen Clark's electorate office. She believed it was discovered in her client's room at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre. A spokeswoman for Helen Clark said last night the Mt Albert office had dealt directly with Ms Dalziel's office and the Prime Minister had no further comment.

Meanwhile the case drew a flurry of complaints yesterday. Ms Collins filed written complaints with the Solicitor-General, Privacy Commissioner and Wellington Law Society alleging Ms Dalziel committed contempt of court by releasing the letter, which was legally privileged information.

Ms Curtis is laying a complaint with the Attorney-General claiming Ms Dalziel breached the Immigration Act when she tabled one of the authority's two decisions on the case in Parliament on Tuesday.

"Refugee status appeals are privileged and they are highly confidential and it's an offence to reveal any information from such a decision without the express waiver of the client," she said.

Ms Dalziel denied the claim.

Government apologies

* Prime Minister Helen Clark apologised in Parliament on Tuesday after her chief whip, David Benson-Pope, wrongly accused Act MP Rodney Hide of yelling out "dopey niggers" during a debate last week.

* She was followed by Mr Benson-Pope himself, who apologised unreservedly to Mr Hide.

* Labour junior whip Jill Pettis apologised last week for calling National MP Sandra Goudie "white trash".

Two interviews, two accounts

Lianne Dalziel on Morning Report yesterday

Presenter: Or sourced from you? You didn't go to TV3?

Dalziel: I'm not going to say where the letter came from. I had a copy of it independently of TV3.

Presenter: Okay, so you hadn't put it in the public arena even though you had a copy of it?

Dalziel: No.

Lianne Dalziel in Parliament yesterday afternoon

Judith Collins: Does the minister know who took an envelope containing the written communication between the young girl and her lawyer and left it on the TV3 desk in Parliament...?

Dalziel: I did not personally give the document to TV3 but I can confirm that a staff member of mine did.