Economist aims for Parliament

Graham Scott says he wants to move from advising politicians to being one. Picture / Greg Bowker

The ACT list's biggest surprise was the fifth-place selection of former Treasury secretary Graham Scott, who last year suffered a personal blow.

In October Dr Scott's daughter, Carla, died in an accident in Arthur's Pass. The 26-year-old had apparently slipped while out walking.

Dr Scott's parliamentary future is all but guaranteed should ACT get over the 5 per cent threshold this election. Yesterday the economist appeared cautiously hopeful of his prospects.

Dr Scott said his career had been one of "making governments work better, but cost less.

"I would like the opportunity to move from advising politicians to being one."

He said that he had been approached in the past, but the timing had never been right.

Locally, his name is perhaps most closely associated with his time as Treasury secretary from 1986 to 1993, under Labour and National governments.

But his experience in economics spans the globe from the United States to Mongolia.

His last role saw him advising the Emir of Qatar on education funding and he is still involved as the joint chief technical adviser to a World Bank project to reform Vietnam's public finance management.

ACT party president Catherine Judd said that Dr Scott would contribute greatly to the party in economic, social and health policy.