"But they did it too" is one of the lamest excuses ever created, and is unworthy of most children. So naturally, Solid Energy is using it in an attempt to justify its subversion of our democracy with our own money:
Other government agencies also helped bankroll a highly critical report into the economic impact of the previous government's emissions trading scheme (ETS), Solid Energy says.What Solid Energy fails to realise is that this is not a justification for its behaviour, but evidence against its co-conspirators. And by refusing to name them, they've simply ensured that thousands of dollars of public money will be wasted processing the required Official Information Act requests.[...]
A briefing from Solid Energy to then energy minister Trevor Mallard last year said the other $1.1 million of NZIER's research was funded by "a range of companies and organisations, including government departments".
The briefing note, released today, does not identify which departments contributed.