New Government more democratic, says Cullen

Michael Cullen

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen has defended the final shape of the Labour-led Government, which he says delivers greater decision-making power to Parliament.

Labour has come under fire since the election over the composition of the Government, particularly over the support deals with New Zealand First and United Future.

Some opposition MPs and commentators have suggested Labour trampled over constitutional conventions in forming the new arrangement by allowing NZ First leader Winston Peters and United Future leader Peter Dunne to hold important ministerial warrants outside Cabinet.

But Dr Cullen said today that, under the Westminster system, the Government executive had always been governed by conventions rather than rules. Those conventions had always been adapted to suit new situations, he said.

"It is the part of the system that is required to be flexible, even to be capable of being bent out of shape, to accommodate the vicissitudes of parliamentary democracy," he said in notes for a speech to the New Zealand Centre for Public Law conference in Wellington.

The new arrangements were consistent with the aims of MMP, he said.

Before MMP people had voiced concern about a concentration of power in Cabinet, which could dominate a party's caucus, which in turn could dominate Parliament.

That meant real power rested with a small group of MPs.

That was no longer the situation, he said.

"MMP has redistributed the power that was formerly concentrated, with the result that Parliament is a much more powerful and autonomous institution."

Dr Cullen said "there was no reason to believe" that Mr Peters' role as Foreign Minister and Mr Dunne's role as Revenue Minister outside Cabinet would not work.

National's deputy leader Gerry Brownlee has accused Prime Minister Helen Clark of going against the country's constitution in appointing Mr Peters and Mr Dunne as ministers but giving them unprecedented power to criticise Government policy outside their portfolios.

Mr Brownlee argued that the Prime Minister had no right to alter the constitution "at any cost" just so she could form a Government.

- NZPA, HERALD STAFF