Report shows PSC ads risked political neutrality – Labour

A report released today confirms the Public Service Commission should never have used taxpayer money to campaign against nurses and teachers taking industrial action.

“The report shows the Commission ignored its own integrity unit’s advice and used taxpayer money to boost Facebook ads attacking workers who were bargaining in good faith,” Labour Public Services spokesperson Camilla Belich said.

“The review shows they could have corrected their mistake immediately. Instead, PSC spent more than six months and at least $45,000 investigating itself, only to confirm the risks its own integrity advisers had identified before a single ad went live.

“This isn’t just about one Facebook ad. It’s about the integrity and political neutrality of New Zealand’s public service.

“New Zealanders need to know that public agencies act independently and don’t use public money for political purposes.

“New Zealanders and nurses and teachers deserve an apology from the Public Service Commission, a commitment to uphold political integrity, and assurances that this will never happen again,” Camilla Belich said.