Government should follow Parker's lead, says Brash

Don Brash (left) and David Parker

David Parker did the honourable thing in resigning his Cabinet portfolios but the same standards were not being applied to other aspects of the Government, National leader Don Brash said today.

"I think he did the honourable thing," Dr Brash said.

But the question was why those high standards were not being applied to other ministers -- such as Social Development Minister David Benson-Pope who "misled Parliament" last year.
He also referred to the Prime Minister, given the Labour Party's apparent breach of the Electoral Act with its campaign spending last year, her signing of an artist's painting as her own, and the speeding motorcade.

"We want the same kind of standards applying to other aspects of the Government's behaviour."

Dr Brash said he was not interested in raking through MP's private lives and he did not think the National Party was guilty of that.

But misleading Parliament was not an issue of muck-raking, it was a serious issue.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said Opposition parties should stop "carping" on about the Government's handling of Mr Parker's resignation.

"Well, look a turnaround of 28 hours is not a long time in this business and they've just been carping and bickering for no good reason now.

"They should count their lucky stars that someone has set them an example of how to behave in public life and maybe they'll take it themselves one day," Mr Peters told National Radio.

Dr Brash said Mr Parker had to go after admitting falsifying documents to the Companies Office.

Unwittingly, he said, some people did file false company statements. "But this is a different order of thing. David Parker admitted doing this for a number of years and doing it quite consciously and deliberately," Dr Brash said on National Radio.

"He was doing this when he was a Member of Parliament in part. This process began prior to his being elected but it continued after he was a Member of Parliament.

"There's all the difference in the world between that kind of behaviour -- a clear breach of the Companies Act which potentially could have him in jail -- and the kind of inadvertent mistake which some people make. This is not a parking offence.

"He is a lawyer and lawyers are expected to be absolutely meticulous about the documents which they sign."

- NZPA