Parliament Recommends Peters be Suspended After Found Guilty of Breaching Ethics Code
The New Zealand Parliament has recently recommended that Minister of Finance Grant Peters be suspended after he was found guilty of breaching the ethical code of conduct. This is one of the most serious disciplinary actions the Cabinet can take and it has far reaching consequences for the Minister.
The report, which was published yesterday, concluded that the Minister was in breach of the code when he was found to have breached ethical rules surrounding the administration of funds. Specifically, the report found that Peters had abused the public trust by not properly managing the accounts associated with his ministerial office.
This is a significant breach of the code of conduct and the report also finds that Peters was in breach of the code in a number of other ways. The report lists the breaches and details the action that needs to be taken in order to ensure that the breach is not repeated in future.
The committee, which was made up of members from both Labour and National, found that the Minister had failed to ensure the proper governance and accountability of the funds administered by his office. It also found that the Minister had failed to manage the accounts in a manner that was consistent with the public trust.
The committee found that the Minister was also in breach of the code of conduct when he failed to maintain relationships with the public in a manner that was consistent with the code. This included failing to communicate with the public in a honest and transparent way, and failing to respond to queries in a timely manner. This was deemed to be a serious breach of the code and could potentially put the public’s trust in the government at risk.
It is recommended that the Minister be suspended from office for a period of three months. This is to allow for the necessary investigations to take place and for the Minister to be given the opportunity to reflect on his actions.
The public will inevitably have questions about what was done and why. The suspension period gives the Minister the chance to explain the decisions he made and the impact they had on the public’s trust. This time can also be used to ensure that the Minister understands the importance of ethical behaviour and what the consequences are for failing to abide by the code of conduct.
It is also important that the public have confidence in the government and its ministers. It is hoped that the suspension of Minister Peters will send a strong message to anyone who might be considering acting in a similar way that it is inexcusable and will not be tolerated.
Ultimately, it is important to remember that the government is held accountable to the public for its actions. It is essential that government ministers maintain the highest standards of ethical behaviour and that any breaches are dealt with appropriately and promptly. The recommendation for the suspension of Minister Peters is an important step in ensuring this is the case. Furthermore, it is hoped that by taking such a stance, other ministers will be reminded of the need to abide by the ethical code of conduct and the consequences of misbehaviour.
