Labour in gun over party ads says Act

Ken Shirley

Act claims Labour will have to repay $90,000 it says taxpayers forked out for bus stop advertisements after the Parliamentary Service advised they were outside rules governing political advertising.

Act's weekly news sheet claimed yesterday that Prime Minister Helen Clark pressured Speaker Margaret Wilson to "bend the rules" and let her off repaying the money for the ads, which have now been taken down.

The Parliamentary Service refused to say if the ads, which read "You're better off with Labour", breached the rules. Ms Wilson could not be contacted for comment.

Helen Clark said yesterday that Act's claims were news to her and she denied having any such contact with Ms Wilson.

Act MP Ken Shirley sparked the issue when he wrote to Ms Wilson this month asking if the ads were within the rules.

He based the cost estimate and number of billboards on the $90,000 budgeted by the Government on 133 bus stop billboards on the Working for Families package that ran back-to-back with the Labour ads.

Labour Party president Mike Williams said he was in Australia and had heard nothing of the alleged advice that the ads breached the rules.
It is understood the Prime Minister's office has not been informed of any such advice.

Yet Mr Shirley said that Simon Wall, Parliamentary Service group manager (finance and entitlements), told him a fortnight ago the advertisements were out of order.

"My advice is that yes, it is a breach of the rules," Mr Shirley said. "The determination is that it does break the rules. They therefore have to pay the money back."

He would now complain to the Auditor-General over the use of back-to-back advertisements, as Labour was leveraging off the Working for Families campaign.

Mr Wall refused to reveal yesterday what his advice to the Speaker was. Parliamentary Service general manager Joel George said he wouldn't tell the Herald even if he knew.