A 163-page OIA dump on the Friday before Christmas raises further questions for the Auditor-General over the Government’s decision to spend public money on social media advertisements targeting striking workers.
The documents expose striking inconsistencies over how deeply Christopher Luxon was involved in the decision for the Public Service Commission to use social media advertising that targeted nurses, teachers, and other public sector workers.
“The documents suggest that the offices of both the Prime Minister and the Public Service Minister were heavily involved in the decision to publish advertisements thatattack the position of striking workers, despite officials’ concerns that those advertisements did notcomply with the Public Service Commission’s own social media guidelines,” Labour’s Public Service spokesperson Camila Belich said.
“This Government now appears to be meddling in the independence of the public service to manage the message for political gain, with the timing and handling of the release raising serious questions about the role of the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The release also confirms the PSC was willing to spend up to $10,000 for the campaign, an extraordinary use of public funds.
“While the Public Service Commission has announced a review of the advertising campaign, there has been no clarity on who is conducting it or what its terms of reference will be – raising further questions about transparency and accountability.
“This is not enough. The Auditor-General has the independence and authority to get to the bottom of this. New Zealanders deserve to have confidence in the political neutrality of our public institutions,” Camilla Belich said.
Camilla Belich wrote to the Office of the Auditor-General in November requesting an inquiry under the Public Audit Act to establish whether the decision to purchase and run these advertisements was lawful, appropriate and within the scope of the public service’s statutory duties.