Opinion: The Zoom call is over but Labour is still on mute

Why didn't the Government launch an independent inquiry into the bullying allegations? Photo /Mark Mitchell.

OPINION:

Why the Government didn't launch an independent inquiry into these allegations by rogue MP Dr Gaurav Sharma, I will never know.

But if it wants to get out of this hole that the Hamilton West MP is digging for it, it's going to have to.

Some of his latest allegations are being described as "explosive". For a lot of people, I think what he's been saying about how the Government bends over backwards to get around requests for information under the Official Information Act will be surprising.

But I know that this sort of thing isn't new and certainly isn't limited to the Government.

Any public organisation that can be scrutinised through the OIA process freaks out over this stuff and does everything to try and keep sensitive things secret. Just like local authorities do too.

For them, it's the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act that they operate under (or LGOIMA as those in the know refer to it). But the OIA and the LGOIMA are essentially the same thing, designed to allow people to request information about all sorts of things from public entities.

So I wasn't surprised in the least to hear Dr Sharma talking this morning about how the Prime Minister's office cherry picks how information is handled, and if something is really tricky they try to make it a matter for the leader of Labour Party because, that way, it can't be subject to the Official Information Act.

And, of course, there are workshops held with MPs telling them how they can keep stuff secret. Don't write things down, don't send emails about sensitive or controversial things - because they're what's described as being "discoverable".

So instead, talk about things on the phone. Phone calls aren't discoverable. Unless they're recorded, of course. Or go and chat face-to-face with someone. Just don't write it down.

So, the current government does it, the previous government did it, all councils do it and all government agencies do it and have done ever since these official information processes have been around.

But should a government that promised to be the most open and transparent government we've ever had be doing it? Of course it shouldn't. But it is. And I don't see anything changing on that front.

Along those lines, Mike Hosking asked Dr Sharma this morning whether he thought the Prime Minister was a liar. He said it was up to us to come to our own conclusions.

And that is the nub of the issue. Because the way the Government is handling this, leaves every one of us with the only option but to come to our own conclusion.

Unlike the way National is doing things and letting an independent inquiry come to a conclusion on the issue it's got with MP Sam Uffindell. Arm's length. Independent. With a conclusion that is likely to be far more credible than secret Zoom meetings and a whole bunch of Labour MPs towing the party line.

That's why I'm in no doubt that an independent inquiry must happen. And Labour needs to get over itself and stop thinking that suspending or expelling people is the way you deal with things in 2022. Because it isn't.