By VERNON SMALL deputy political editor
The Registrar of Electors has cleared former Broadcasting Minister Marian Hobbs of any offence under electoral law for registering as a Wellington Central voter.
But any prospect of a return to the cabinet rests on a report from the Auditor-General, David Macdonald, which is still some weeks away.
A similar inquiry into Alliance MP Phillida Bunkle is not yet complete because she provided information after Ms Hobbs.
The registrar for Wellington Central, Raewynne Uren, has ruled that Ms Hobbs was qualified to vote in Wellington Central when she applied in August 1998.
She also found that Ms Hobbs is still qualified to vote in the seat, which she won at the 1999 election.
In finding that she did not commit an offence under the sections of the act dealing with false or wilfully misleading statements, she noted that Ms Hobbs had disclosed she had a residence in Christchurch.
In a letter to Ms Hobbs, released by the Wellington Central MP, Ms Uren said she had no jurisdiction to inquire into entitlements to parliamentary allowances, and had not done so.
In a two-line statement, Ms Hobbs said the letter from Ms Uren "speaks for itself."
Ms Hobbs and Ms Bunkle received an allowance, paid to cover out-of-town MPs' expenses when they are in Wellington, while they were registered as voters in Wellington Central.
A Parliamentary Service report in January found both women were properly paid the allowance.
Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday also said the registrar's letter spoke for itself.
A spokesman said Helen Clark was pleased for Ms Hobbs and she was now awaiting two reports from the Auditor-General, due in the next two weeks.
The first will look at the role of the Parliamentary Service, the Higher Salaries Commission and Ministerial Services in administering MPs' allowances, and at the specific cases of Ms Hobbs and Ms Bunkle.
A second report will deal more broadly with the Wellington accommodation allowance and the use of "primary place of residence" as a test for the entitlement.
National MP Roger Sowry, whose complaint triggered the registrar's probe, said Ms Hobbs had been able to show that she should have been on the roll in Wellington Central, but that left other questions unanswered.
"If she has provided the same information to the Audit Office, then questions over entitlement to allowances that she claimed for living out of the Wellington Central area clearly remain. This is a two-sided coin and we have to wait to see the Audit Office report."
Act leader Richard Prebble said Ms Hobbs had jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.
"The requirement for registration in Wellington Central was that Ms Hobbs was making her family home there. This means her claim for an out-of-town allowance cannot be correct."
He predicted Helen Clark would not invite Ms Hobbs back into the cabinet.
Ms Hobbs and Ms Bunkle resigned their portfolios on February 23 after a Crown Law opinion raised questions about their enrolments and advised the registrar to seek further information.
The national manager of the Electoral Enrolment Centre, Murray Wicks, said the inquiry into Ms Bunkle's case was still proceeding. He would not comment on whether the two cases were different in any other way.
Hobbs over first hurdle in bid to clear name
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