Wall of silence on Field's dealings

Taito Philip Field

The corruption probe into the dealings of Taito Phillip Field raised serious questions about the MP's conduct - but it appears little is being done to answer them.

The Weekend Herald was told by a number of agencies this week either that they were not looking into the employment, immigration or tax questions raised in the report of Auckland QC Noel Ingram or that they would not discuss whether they were.

Dr Ingram's long-awaited report cleared Mr Field of any conflict between his private interests and his role as a minister.

But it also suggested a Thai worker was significantly underpaid for painting jobs on properties Mr Field owned.

National has accused the Mangere MP of using "slave labour" which did not go through the correct tax channels.

Despite the questions raised by Dr Ingram, the Department of Labour yesterday said it was not investigating the underpayments detailed in the QC's report.

Graeme Buchanan, the Labour Department's deputy secretary for legal matters, said a complaint was required before anything could be done.

And even then, "we would have to establish there was an employment relationship, not a contracting one".

Mr Field has put distance between himself and the Thai painter by saying he paid a woman who organised the work, and she hired the painter.

The woman involved was very close to the Field family, and looked on Mr Field's wife as "like a mother", according to Dr Ingram's inquiry.

Mr Buchanan said that New Zealanders engaging people to complete work on their houses - such as painters - "do not normally enter into a direct employment relationship with those people".

National MP Lockwood Smith last night attacked the department's stance and said that somebody had to be employing the painter.

"Sure, they may not have been employed directly by Field, but someone is employing them, and the amount they've been paid looks like it's below the minimum wage," Dr Smith said.

"If [the Labour Department] is waiting for a complaint, it'll get one."

Inland Revenue has refused to say if it is looking into accusations that the correct tax channels were not used in payments to people who worked on Mr Field's properties.

Prime Minister Helen Clark continues to resist calls for a stronger inquiry into Mr Field's dealings, arguing that enough public money has already been spent on the $500,000 probe by Dr Ingram.

Labour has pointed out, however, that Mr Field is no longer a minister.

Behind the scenes the party has also noted that any advantage Mr Field might have gained from cheap labour has been cancelled out by the drop in pay he has suffered.

The Beehive yesterday refused to give further details of the ethical "counselling" Mr Field will receive from the party.

Labour's president, Mike Williams, said the party was "not unhappy" with the result of the Ingram inquiry.

He confirmed that people within the party could choose to bring disciplinary proceedings against Mr Field, but that has not happened.

Mr Williams said Mr Field was not a liability for the party and called him a "talented organiser" who helped to bring about a big turnout on election night in South Auckland.

Immigration Minister David Cunliffe said on Thursday that there had been no separate departmental review of cases detailed in Dr Ingram's report, where work visas were granted to people after representations by the Labour MP.

National is waiting for a decision from Parliament's Speaker about referring Mr Field's dealings to the privileges committee before it decides its next step.

Speaker Margaret Wilson is expected to make her decision next week.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT ANSWERS

* A Thai man who worked on the MP's properties appears to have been underpaid.
- Department of Labour is not investigating.

* Doubts remain over whether payments to workers went through the correct tax channels.
- Inland Revenue won't say if it is investigating.

* Work visas were granted to people represented by Mr Field, despite several weaknesses in their applications.
- Immigration Minister David Cunliffe says there has not been a separate departmental review of the cases involving Mr Field.

* A complaint has been sent to the police alleging Mr Field breached the Crimes Act.
- Police had not received the letter when contacted.

* Mr Field is to receive ethics "counselling" from Labour.
- Nobody will discuss details of the tuition.