Porn, bubbly and chartered plane put on public tab
Source: Agencies |
June 11, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMER New Zealand government ministers used their official credit cards to buy pornographic movies, Bollinger champagne, flowers for a romantic partner and even an airplane charter, official records released in Wellington showed yesterday.
The first public viewing of more than 7,000 pages of credit-card expenses booked by former Labour government ministers between 2003 and 2008 revealed hundreds of purchases outside the rules.
Former Labour housing minister Shane Jones admitted using his official credit card to pay for porn movies.
"I'm a red-blooded adult," he said. "It shouldn't have happened, it has happened, it doesn't make me feel particularly worthy, but I'm not going to hide from it."
He admitted spending thousands of dollars on personal items and called his actions an "egregious lapse."
"It was wrong," he said, adding that he had apologized.
He had reimbursed NZ$6,450 (US$4,350) of personal spending on his ministerial card, including the cost of an airplane charter to take him to a function, before his party lost office in November 2008.
Jones faces censure by Labour lawmakers next week, as well as public ridicule, but does not face further sanctions after paying back the cash.
New Zealand ministers' spending was mostly on fine dining, fine wine, clothing and, in one case, golf clubs while on an official trip.
Former minister Chris Carter bought flowers for his partner's birthday on his ministerial card.
Former Maori affairs minister Parekura Horomia spent NZ$500 on one meal at a Chinese restaurant and former arts minister Judith Tizard bought a NZ$155 bottle of Bollinger with taxpayer cash.
Labour deputy leader Annette King labeled some of the rule breaches as "unacceptable."
"It's not for me to judge what people do in the privacy of their rooms, but it's not appropriate to use a ministerial credit card to pay for it," she said.
It is not only the Labour party that is guilty of misusing government credit cards.
Trade Minister Tim Groser, of the National Party. has charged alcohol purchases of at least NZ$1,470 against taxpayer-funded credit cards since he became a minister 18 months ago.
Groser was subject to censure from the prime minister's office in May after a complaint by a member of the public about heavy drinking among his trade delegation on a flight from the Middle East back home.
Housing Minister Phil Healthy was fired this year for inappropriately charging wine to his official credit card, but reinstated after the Audit Office found he did not intentionally break the rules.
Prime Minister John Key said the first detailed review of expenses spending had set "a new level of transparency in this government."
The first public viewing of more than 7,000 pages of credit-card expenses booked by former Labour government ministers between 2003 and 2008 revealed hundreds of purchases outside the rules.
Former Labour housing minister Shane Jones admitted using his official credit card to pay for porn movies.
"I'm a red-blooded adult," he said. "It shouldn't have happened, it has happened, it doesn't make me feel particularly worthy, but I'm not going to hide from it."
He admitted spending thousands of dollars on personal items and called his actions an "egregious lapse."
"It was wrong," he said, adding that he had apologized.
He had reimbursed NZ$6,450 (US$4,350) of personal spending on his ministerial card, including the cost of an airplane charter to take him to a function, before his party lost office in November 2008.
Jones faces censure by Labour lawmakers next week, as well as public ridicule, but does not face further sanctions after paying back the cash.
New Zealand ministers' spending was mostly on fine dining, fine wine, clothing and, in one case, golf clubs while on an official trip.
Former minister Chris Carter bought flowers for his partner's birthday on his ministerial card.
Former Maori affairs minister Parekura Horomia spent NZ$500 on one meal at a Chinese restaurant and former arts minister Judith Tizard bought a NZ$155 bottle of Bollinger with taxpayer cash.
Labour deputy leader Annette King labeled some of the rule breaches as "unacceptable."
"It's not for me to judge what people do in the privacy of their rooms, but it's not appropriate to use a ministerial credit card to pay for it," she said.
It is not only the Labour party that is guilty of misusing government credit cards.
Trade Minister Tim Groser, of the National Party. has charged alcohol purchases of at least NZ$1,470 against taxpayer-funded credit cards since he became a minister 18 months ago.
Groser was subject to censure from the prime minister's office in May after a complaint by a member of the public about heavy drinking among his trade delegation on a flight from the Middle East back home.
Housing Minister Phil Healthy was fired this year for inappropriately charging wine to his official credit card, but reinstated after the Audit Office found he did not intentionally break the rules.
Prime Minister John Key said the first detailed review of expenses spending had set "a new level of transparency in this government."
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