John Key has indicated that National will likely support Holly Walker's Lobbying Disclosure Bill to select committee. Good. This is an area where more transparency is needed, so we can see whether or not our government is subject to undue influence, and ultimately whether or not they are trustworthy. And while the bill may need to be tweaked, that can be done at select committee, after a national conversation about how much transparency we expect and who should be covered. National's support will make that conversation possible.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith is once again showing us that he is no friend of transparency, by refusing to name the 16 lobbyists given privileged access to Parliament. Which naturally invites the question: what is he trying to hide? If the access was defensible, he would tell us. The fact that he doesn't speaks volumes.
