Steven Joyce was reported in this morning’s DomPost as saying he “overlooked” a letter sent to him by Telecom chief Paul Reynolds when telling me that he had not got any correspondence on Telecom’s structural separation.
The letter from Reynolds was sent to Joyce on 6 August 2009. In October 2009 I requested an answer from Joyce on whether he had received or been sent any correspondence on structural separation. His answer was NO.
Joyce then spent a year and a half trying to suppress the release of this letter amongst other things to the DomPost.
The DomPost first discovered there was a letter in around November 2009. Joyce went to great lengths to suppress it. It was referred to the Ombudsman and it’s my understanding that there were dozens of contacts between the Ombudsman’s office, the DomPost and Joyce’s office that went on until the Minister decided to release the letter early this week.
It’s also my understanding that Telecom knew the letter’s significance at the time. I would imagine that Joyce knew the letter’s significance too. He got his officials (allegedly) to contact Reynolds after he received the letter and inform him that he was “incorrect”.
It therefore doesn’t stack up that he “overlooked” this letter when I subsequently wrote to him.
Since the letter has emerged, Joyce has done two things. He’s told the DomPost that Paul Reynolds was “incorrect” in his claim that he understood officials had suggested the Government had a preference for Telecom to voluntarily offer to structurally separate, and called for a meeting to discuss the matter.
And then he’s said he “overlooked” the existence of the letter when I asked him whether he’d received any correspondence on this important issue.
This is despite fighting to keep it secret for a year and a half.
It doesn’t stack up.
I’d like to know what other material has been with-held on discussions between Steven Joyce, John Key and Telecom over structural separation in the last two years and when those meetings were held.
I, and others, have questioned whether the government had a pre-determined position on Telecom undertaking the ultrafast broadband scheme and that structural separation was the price. This was before the contracting process had even begun.
There are other parties to the contracting process who can rightfully be aggrieved should it be revealed this is the case.
Follow the money, Clare. You might have to bust open a few secret trusts, but ‘the truth will out’ eventually.
oh .. he over looked a document shown to him .. mmmmm
anywhere else this would surely be a resigning matter.
Very good Clare, keep holding these people to account, joyce is as slippery as a snake, if he is holding something back he has something to hide!
Only if you were an MP on the left side of the political spectrum would this be a resigning matter. Those who have the backing of the weathly are teflon coated.
Well the coutry will get what it deserves with another term of this type of government.
From previous post: “Steven Joyce lied”
I heard on a radio nz news item yesterday that the SIS Director admitted that he hadn’t provided Goff with the paperwork. He gave it to Key, but not Goff which is a pretty poor show. It wouldn’t surprise me if Key knew all along that Goff never received it but pretended he didn’t know…
Got it sorted now jabba?
i lurve this “overlooked” stuff
i must try it on my boss, my wife, and my away-from-home-playmate
(i hope none of them reads this)
@Pumpkin! Howdy fellow ground dweller!
@Anne – Man, I wish people would just accept that he never got the papers!
The really sad bit is that this doesn’t seem to have made mainstream media – which means this isn’t really an issue…
Hello spud, good to see a fellow garden-folk!
Mainstream media don’t get this because its simply beyond the comprehension of the press gallery to recognise a right royal rort – Perhaps I shouldn’t be so harsh on them…its tough having to interview the mirror!
This stuff is unbelievable, coming hard on the heels of handing a $43 million tax break to his radio mates!
How can anyone believe Joyce when he says he “overlooked” it, more like “overcooked” it — coming from a media mogul, strategy guru, Key’s left-side brain.
He has taken liberal licence with the truth and he should be fronting the privileges committee just like Winston did.
” coming hard on the heels of handing a $43 million tax break to his radio mates!”
That sounds like it should be big news. What’s the story?
@Father Tim
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10711051
And from Peter Thompson – senior lecturer in media studies at Victoria University. He chaired the working party that reviewed public submissions on the TVNZ Charter.
“Two significant broadcasting policy decisions have recently attracted media attention. First, reports that the Government had decided to discontinue the funding for TVNZ 7 suggest that New Zealand’s sole surviving commercial-free public service television channel will probably be facing closure by 2012.
Meanwhile, TVNZ’s commercial rival, Mediaworks, has taken up a 2009 Government provision to defer payment of $43 million for its radio spectrum licences. Although the Communications Minister, Steven Joyce, has argued this deferral does not constitute a loan, Mediaworks is obliged to pay 11.2 per cent interest on the deferred payment it has effectively borrowed from the Crown. Taken together, they show a fundamental contradiction in National’s policy thinking on broadcasting….”
Interesting to see who hasn’t posted n this thread but posted on the SIS briefing matter.
Asked a question, with time to research and see if he had anything on it, Joyce either didnt bothe ror lied. Neither can be credible over an issue relating to a minimum of $1.5BN taxpayer money
Asked a question, with time to research and see if he had anything on it, Joyce either didnt bother or lied. Neither can be credible over an issue relating to a minimum of $1.5BN taxpayer money
Well Tracey, given that a minister’s office is suppposed to be staffed with people ready to run about to find the answer to any question presented in the house, it is unlikely that Joyce didn’t bother to find the answer. Which leaves the other option.
You are so right it isn’t credible that correspondence around a $1.5B deal was not properly handled. The sweetheart deal Joyce organised for Telecom has been dodgey from the start. The minister was not properly distanced from the decision because Joyce did not set up an advisory panel to evaluate options. With this sort of money, such behaviour is highly questionable.
I’m not surprised that Joyce tried to surpress this letter, just as I’m not suprised he has become the elected face of corporate welfare. Joyce was a Hollow man back when he organised Brash’s 2005 campaign, he is still a Hollow man. The only difference is he now has a cabinet minister’s salary.
Sean the Hollow Men abound indeed. Mr Key, Mr Joyce and Mr McCully are now three of the most powerful people in NZ, it is unlikely their ethics have changed. Those who despised Ms Clark’s government for real and imagined reasons turn a blind eye because when its their team, the end justifies the means.
Yep Tracey, that list depresses me every time. And it could get worse. If John Key returns in November, list MP Don Brash will be offered the Finance portfolio.