Bunkle may be forced to quit

By AUDREY YOUNG political reporter

Phillida Bunkle may yet have to resign as Consumer Affairs Minister in the new parliamentary year, even if she is cleared of wrongfully receiving an accommodation allowance.

Government sources yesterday would not discount the possibility that she might have to go if her credibility was too badly tarnished.

Alliance leader Jim Anderton was careful in his support of Phillida Bunkle: "If she has done nothing wrong whatever, then I can't see why she should be removed from anything."

He accepted that sometimes leaders had to act when MPs' reputations were tarnished - even if unfairly - by political attacks.

"It is the judgment of leaders of parties and Government, and it is a judgment call, as to whether those attacks and the challenges to the credibility of a particular politician, minister or otherwise, render them ineffective or unable to do their job properly."

Mr Anderton did not believe Phillida Bunkle would be rendered ineffective if the investigation resolved the questions raised so far.

"But if there were any matters raised that went further to her credibility - other than what's been raised so far, that I don't know about - then, of course, those would have to be considered."

Phillida Bunkle is facing growing criticism over the fact she registered on the Wellington Central electoral roll in June last year and lived in her Thorndon cottage, but continued to claim accommodation expenses from Parliament because she had declared herself an MP who came from out of town - Waikanae and Nelson.

She campaigned as someone who had lived and worked in Wellington for 25 years.

Parliamentary officials are rechecking the expenses to see if any were wrongly given.

Act leader Richard Prebble is also on the Wellington Central roll and claims the accommodation allowance.

He said the critical difference was that since losing the seat in the last election, he had sold his Wellington home and moved back to Auckland.

He receives the allowance for a smaller Wellington property he owns and stays in. He did not receive it when he lived in Wellington.

Phillida Bunkle, on the other hand, enrolled as a Wellington Central resident and continued to claim non-Wellington expenses.

National MP Roger Sowry yesterday called for Phillida Bunkle's resignation, saying she had no credibility to continue as the watchdog of consumer rorts.

"If Helen was in New Zealand, I have no doubt that she would have gone. You have got a different standard being applied here than you have from the standard that was applied to Dover Samuels and Ruth Dyson."