Comment permalink

Twenty booklets advising over-60s of their entitlements have landed Dunedin South MP Clare Curran in more hot water.

The booklets, which had Labour Party branding, were given to local Ministry of Social Development staff - "to be used as appropriate, is what my staff member has told me, and that's as far as it went", Ms Curran said.

Ten went on display in Dunedin South and 10 in Mosgiel - but none should have been on display at all, as Government departments and agencies were apolitical, National social development spokeswoman Louise Upston said.

Ms Upston raised the issue at question time in Parliament yesterday, and asked Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni how the booklet came to be distributed.

Ms Sepuloni said her office had been advised of the booklets on November 20 and they were removed the next day.

"It is great we're having this conversation in the House," she said. "Everyone now knows that even if it is parliamentary-crested information, if it has a political logo on it, it is not appropriate to leave it in a government agency."

Ms Curran, Labour MP for Dunedin South for 10 years, was made a cabinet minister when Labour took office. However, she resigned in September after controversies surrounding undiaried meetings and the use of her personal email address for parliamentary business.

Ms Upston said that as a former cabinet minister, Ms Curran should have known the Labour-branded booklets should not have been put in an MSD office.

Ms Curran said the booklets had a huge amount of useful information in them, and anyone who wanted one was welcome to ask for one.

"I think it's really useful and it's doing the job of a good MP and a good MP's office, to let the community know what they are entitled to and keep them well and healthy."

Ms Upston said Ms Sepuloni had made excuses and blamed staff for the slip.

"MPs shouldn't be putting government agency staff members in the position of having to deal with political propaganda," she said.

"I'd like to thank the Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins for today clarifying that this was not appropriate and that material that promotes a political party must not be displayed on government agency premises, vehicles or websites."