Treasury has changed its tune at the last minute and given a handful of organisations the green light to attend next week’s Budget lock-up.
The move follows a legal threat and public pressure over why organisations that had previously been allowed to see embargoed Budget documents, were suddenly barred.
While the groups are welcoming the revision, some are scratching their heads over why Treasury gave business-affiliated groups accreditation before it did the same for the Council of Trade Unions.
Business New Zealand, the New Zealand Initiative and the Taxpayers’ Union were emailed by Treasury last night, saying they could attend the May 22 Budget lock-up at the Beehive.
However, the Council of Trade Unions was only given the okay this morning, after it challenged Treasury, and the “right wing” organisations came in to bat for their “left wing” friend out of principle.
The New Zealand Initiative’s Eric Crampton told Treasury he would only accept the invitation on the condition the Council of Trade Unions’ Craig Renney was accredited too.
A lawyer for the Taxpayers’ Union yesterday sent Treasury a letter saying it would file an application for judicial review if Treasury didn’t “urgently” reconsider the group’s application to attend the lock-up, and respond by Friday.
The lawyer claimed declining the organisation’s application was a breach of its legal rights.
I’m very pleased to see Treasury come to their senses and do the right thing. Also pleased to see the principled stand by the NZ Initiative to decline to attend if the CTU wasn’t allowed their economist to attend.
I understand the Taxpayers’ Union even considered sending Renney in one of their three spots – something which would have been both hilarious and awkward!
The TU, the NZ Initiative and the CTU don’t agree on much. But it is a good thing that they stand together on this.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
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