TV3's The Nation interviewed former head of DPMC (and long-serving public servant) Dr Mark Prebble on Saturday morning, and in the process, asked him about whether he thought Parliament should be brought under the OIA. His response was unequivocal (watch the video for the full version):
I think the Official Information Act has been the best reform that has happened during my whole time in the public service. It has been good for every agency it’s been applied in, and I can’t see any good reason why you would exclude Parliamentary Services from it. They’re spending public money just like other agencies.And that's about the size of it: they're spending our money, therefore they should be subject to our scrutiny. It is that simple. And knowing that they are under our scrutiny, that their advice could be requested and reviewed by the public at any time, will cause them to ensure it is of the highest quality. Which given Parliamentary Service's repeated and well-publicised failures to give proper advice over spending, is something that is clearly necessary. The reason they keep making mistakes, the reason they keep giving poor advice resulting in the unlawful expenditure of public funds, is because they are still hidden under a cloak of secrecy.
The question is when MPs will accept this. Unfortunately, none of them are even brave enough to put up a bill forcing the rest to debate - and take a public position on - the issue. Every day they don't do that is another day they collectively earn their bad reputation...
