May 29, 2019
Budget leak grandstanding new low in politics
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says National seems to have aided and abetted criminal behaviour.
National Party leader Simon Bridges yesterday released what he said were key details from Thursday's Budget, including funding for a Mental Health Commission and just over $51 million for negotiating historical treaty claims and for determining customary interests in the marine and coastal area.
Mr Bridges denied today that the information came from a hack of the Treasury system, which has been referred to police.
But Mr Peters says it clearly came from a source close to the Budget process, and the Opposition leader should have alerted the Finance Minister of the hack rather that putting the material into the media.
"We don't want anyone to have prior information where they can make money when the information should go to the whole country at the same time. So it's not complicated. It's just a new low I suppose in politics," he says.
Copyright © 2019, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com