Hi Friend,

Our campaign to call for Opposition MPs to be as transparent as Ministers when it comes to expenses has really got up their noses!

Since Peter Williams (no relation) sent the email on Saturday, nearly 10,000 Kiwis have made a submission calling for MPs to Open The Books.

For a campaign launched just 48 hours ago, that is incredible people-power!

Back-bench and opposition MP are spiting tacks 🤬

Friend, we’ve heard from multiple sources that backbenchers and the opposition offices are furious that the Taxpayers’ Union is using the Parliament Bill to highlight MPs’ secret slush funds. 

The Bill was always intended to be rushed through quietly without too much public attention.

In fact, I had an MP call me over the weekend trying to make the case that MPs should be able to spend money without the “public on my back”. Talk about entitled!

MPs now trying to block the public from contacting them on this issue! 😲

Over the years, we’ve done dozens of online submission tools to make it easy for the public to have their say. We email the submission to the relevant MP(s) or Select Committee secretariat.

But something extraordinary has happened with this one.  On Saturday night, we started getting ‘bounces’ back from Parliament’s email servers for the “Open the Books” submissions.

Our IT experts tell us that this is almost certainly a manual ‘block’ of just these submissions! When we email other things to the same addresses, it works just fine...

Three Waters-style skulduggery? 💦

A few years back, Nania Mahuta’s Three Waters’ select committee tried to exclude the 65,000-or-so “Stop Three Waters” submissions. The Committee said they wouldn't ‘recognise’ submissions sent by email. So, back then, the Taxpayers’ Union just printed them all out and wheeled them all down to Parliament.

But this is one step further: actually blocking members from sending electronic communications to the MPs! 

It's nothing short of desperate.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the Chair of the Parliament Bill Select Committee is none other than Labour’s Adrian Rurawhe. Mr Rurawhe was Parliament’s Speaker when we faced the issues on the Three Waters submissions…

If MPs are grumbling, we must be right on the target! 🎯

Friend, if MPs insist on playing games to patch protect, then so be it. If necessary we will go to the expense and print every single one of the submissions made via the ‘Open the Books’ website.

Select Committee officials have to recognise hard copy submissions – they can't be dismissed (or blocked) like emails.

To stand up to these self-entitled big spending Opposition MPs, click here to make a submission.

Only with public pressure can we win this fight for spending transparency.

Click here to make a submission and back this cause.

Thank you for your support.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Ps. We need to ensure that the spending secrecy MPs are so desperate to keep cannot be justified in a first-world transparent democracy. To call for MP’s spending to be brought into line with the transparency Ministerial spending has, make sure you have your say before submissions close on Wednesday night.

From: Peter Williams
Date: Saturday, 2 November 2024 at 1.11PM
To:  
Subject: , it's time to blow MP's secrets wide open 💥

Hi Friend,

I know it's last minute but I've got another campaign we really need your help to win on. 

As you know , the Taxpayers' Union has been exposing Members of Parliament for misusing taxpayer-funded expense and office allowances.

For example, they caught the Māori Party co-leader using her taxpayer funded travel entitlement to take a trip to Hawaii.

But because non-ministerial MPs enjoy a special legal carve-out from Freedom of Information laws, it's impossible to blow the issue wide open.

In fact, the Hawaii trip was only caught because the Taxpayers' Union got a copy of the MP's private social media posts bragging about the Hawaii holiday visit.

Finally there's a window of opportunity to blow open Parliament's secret spending 💸

A few weeks ago, a Bill was introduced to Parliament that makes various administrative changes to how MPs are funded and Parliament is organised.

The Taxpayers' Union has obtained legal advice that removing Parliament's secrecy provisions that carve out MPs expenses from the public's right to know, is within scope of the Bill.

Because the Bill is about Parliament, the Government sent it to an ad-hoc 50-50 Government/Opposition select committee. That means we only need to convince a single opposition party, and we'll likely get the amendment through Parliament.

Let's be frank here: this campaign is to force opposition MPs into justifying why their spending should be a state secret when almost every other area of public spending is subject to public scrutiny.

Remember, Government Ministers' spending is already covered by the freedom of information law. This is about bringing MPs into line with what is required of Ministers.

Take 30 seconds to support this campaign: use our submission tool ➥

The Parliament Bill hasn't received media attention, and MPs want to keep it that way!

As it stands, the Bill actually opens up what MPs can spend our money on (for example, MPs won't even need their party leader's permission to junket, sorry, trip overseas!).

We say, that giving MPs even more leeway to spend taxpayer money – on themselves! – justifies the public having transparency of that spending.

If you agree, we need you to have your say, RIGHT NOW.

Time is running out ⏰

MPs are trying to rush this Bill through, so we don't have long. Submissions close this Wednesday!

Over the last few days, the Taxpayers' Union have pulled out all the stops to quickly build a submission tool. At OpenTheBooks.nz it takes seconds to add your voice in support of bringing MPs' spending into the public eye.

>> Take a moment to submit here and show your support for a transparent Parliament.

What they don't want you to know... 🤫

Previous Speakers of Parliament, the Law Commission, and even the original 1980 "Danks Committee" (which gave rise to the Official Information Act) have called for Parliament to fall into line and give the public financial transparency.

But unless we act now, nothing will change.

Of course, some MPs want to keep their spending in the shadows... They’re comfortable (quite literally?!) knowing groups like the Taxpayers' Union are not allowed to access how they spend our money! That's why taxpayers like you and me must demand transparency.

👉 Tell MPs to 'Open the Books' here 👈

Thanks for your time,

Peter Williams Supporter & Former Board Member New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

ps. It's quick response campaigns like this – keeping alert and standing up for hardworking taxpayers – that make me proud to support the Taxpayers' Union. To join me in making the work possible, click here to make a secure and confidential donation.