Inquiry 'should look at campaign cash'

Prime Minister Helen Clark says the usual parliamentary inquiry into the election should look at political party campaign financing and third-party advertising after the Exclusive Brethren's $500,000 pamphlet campaign.

The secretive church funded the campaign - even though their members don't vote - in an attempt to get National elected by attacking the policies of Labour and the Greens.

Helen Clark suggested at yesterday's post-Cabinet press conference that third-party endorsements might be something the justice and electoral select committee should focus on in its election review.

"We've never seen anything quite like what happened this election with third-party endorsement, nor the manner it was used to smear people and parties," she said.
When it was pointed out such a review would also have to look at union advertising that supported Labour, she said she was very happy for the committee to take a comprehensive look at the issue.

The Brethren campaign is being blamed by both Labour and the Greens for reducing their support at the ballot box.

Labour Party president Mike Williams said on Sunday a lot of the seats it lost in provincial New Zealand had been targeted by the Brethren pamphlets and "push-polling", but he could not attribute the losses to those reasons at present.

The party lost 10 general seats, two held by Cabinet ministers, to National, mostly in the provinces.

Greens co-leader Rod Donald has also blamed the Brethren campaign for affecting the party's results, saying it could have cost them a seat.

Political party advertising is a controversial subject, with many complaints made by various parties during the election campaign and in the runup to it.

The Greens complained to the Chief Electoral Office about the Brethren pamphlets, while National complained about Labour's use of leaders office funding for its pledge card and a fold-out poster.