Brash denies $1m salary for adviser

National leader Don Brash has reacted angrily to accusations he paid a political adviser $1 million a year.

He has denied that former adviser Bryan Sinclair received a high taxpayer-funded salary - or that Sinclair worked as a campaign strategist during the two years he worked in the Opposition leader's office.

Labour Party president Mike Williams made the claim on TVNZ's Agenda programme yesterday, asking why Auditor-General Kevin Brady had not examined funding of staff in the National leader's office. Williams said Sinclair "doesn't cross the Tasman for less than a million dollars a year" and was a self-described campaign strategist.

The issue is sensitive because the Auditor-General's report did not examine taxpayer funding of salaries for key staff in politicians' offices.

Brash said Sinclair handled email correspondence and set up meetings. He said Labour should examine its staff, including Prime Minister Helen Clark's chief of staff Heather Simpson. Brash said Simpson had already been exposed in court documents as being the official who had authorised Labour's pledge card, found to be unlawful spending.