Hide calls for more openness on spending

Rodney Hide. File photo / Steven McNicholl

The minister who was busted for taking his girlfriend on a $22,000 trip to Hawaii and Europe has called for openness about public spending.

ACT leader Rodney Hide made the call after Speaker of the House, Lockwood Smith announced measures this week to make parliamentary spending more secretive.

Smith announced on Friday that international travel rebates claimed by MPs would no longer be made public.

The new rules means trips such as those taken by Hide and his partner Louise Crome to Hawaii and Europe last year, paid for with taxpayer funds, would be kept secret.

However, Hide said yesterday there needed to be more openness about public spending.

"I don't think they can put the genie back into the bottle. People have an expectation around transparency and accountability these days," he said.

He was was joined by Greens Party co-leader Metiria Turei, who is calling for an independent review on MPs' remuneration.

The Greens led the transparency process when they released their expense details last June, following a Herald on Sunday campaign to hold politicians accountable for their spending. Turei said the existing system was "messy and incoherent".

"The Speaker continues to refuse to have independent review of the system so we can clean it up," said Turei. "The Speaker is responsible for that and he should lead on that."

United Party leader Peter Dunne said the Speaker had made the "right decision" and he would be abiding by the rules to keep his travel spending secret. As a long term member of parliament Dunne qualifies for a 90 per cent rebate.

"The rules are set and I think it's important that people abide by them," said Dunne.

Prime Minister John Key said he had told Smith he preferred details of individual MPs travel spending be made public but said it was up to the Speaker if he wanted to withhold that information.

Having opened the figures up to the public there was a risk they would see this latest move as reversal of that transparency, Key said.

Smith said while he respected the Prime Minister's view it did not change his position.

"I'm not about to change my mind. I've made a very considered decision over a period of time."

He argued that the the changes meant "expenses information is released in greater detail than before".

"The only things not included are the items already deducted.

"I believe there's a difference between expenses that are additional expenses and items that have been deducted from members' salaries."

Turei commended Key for speaking out for greater transparency and said she hoped the Prime Minister's actions would help force an overhaul of the system.

She said the party would consider disclosing travel spending despite the rule change.

"The public are right to be concerned if the use of public money has been hidden from them," said Turei.