Dirty politics is back

Judith Collins’ abuse of information about prisoners in order to attack a Labour MP marks a dangerous return to her dirty politics-style way of doing Government business, the Green Party said today.

Corrections Minister Judith Collins went on the attack today, accusing a Labour Party MP of visiting notorious prisoner Arthur Taylor, and refusing to confirm how she knew about the supposed visits.

“Judith Collins’ dirty politics-style of running her ministries is designed to intimidate opposition MPs and others who disagree with her Government’s policies. Dirty politics is not good for New Zealand,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.

“Opposition MPs are entitled to visit prisoners and advocate for them. If Ms Collins, as Corrections Minister, knows about those visits that’s one thing, but to use that information to publicly attack an MP is an abuse of her considerable power.

“New Zealanders need to trust that Ministers are acting in the nation’s interest, not their own. National Party Ministers have a history of misusing private information they’ve got access to as Ministers, for their own political gain.

“Ms Collins should come clean about how she knew about the visits with Arthur Taylor, if they even happened, and then get back to the business of cleaning up the mess she started in the Corrections Department,” Mrs Turei said.

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