The Taxpayers’ Union says new whistleblower allegations that attempts to avoid Official Information Act scrutiny are not isolated strengthen the case for a Public Service Commission investigation across the public service.
Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead, Rhys Hurley, said:
“Yesterday we asked whether this was an isolated incident or part of a wider culture. These new allegations make answering that question even more important.”
“The Commission, however, cannot restrict any investigation to one meeting or one ministry. It needs to establish whether officials across the public service are being encouraged to move conversations off email or avoid creating records because of the OIA.”
“The Act cannot deliver transparency if information is deliberately never recorded. Taxpayers deserve to know how widespread this practice is and who, if anyone, has been encouraging it.”
“Labour was right to call for an investigation. These latest allegations show why it needs to go public service wide.”
Whistleblower Claims Show OIA Investigation Must Be Public Service Wide
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