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If Cosgrove knew about report how come Cunliffe didn't?

Wednesday 14 May 2008, 7:30PM

By New Zealand National Party

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National Party Immigration spokesman Lockwood Smith wants to know why Clayton Cosgrove knew all about a secret report into allegations levelled at Mary-Anne Thompson but the man who preceded him as Immigration Minister did not.

"This happened under David Cunliffe's watch. He knew about the allegations and knew about the inquiry, but the public are being asked to believe that he never followed it up, and never saw the final report.

"So how can it be that the current Immigration Minister, Clayton Cosgrove, was briefed on the secret report and so concerned that he referred it to the State Services Commission in December?

"What was he told, and why wasn't David Cunliffe offered the same advice - or was he?

"Effectively, senior Labour Ministers are now claiming that despite knowing about these allegations, the inquiry, and the secret report - no one ever asked what had happened, what the secret report contained, or how the matters had been resolved.

"Why did Clayton Cosgrove tell the SSC about the secret report in December if he had no idea what was in it or how serious the allegations were? And why did he not reveal this fact when asked about the allegations by the media?

"These stories don't add up. They are a continuation of a pattern, where Ministers have known about serious allegations against one of their top officials for years and said nothing to the public.

"Both Clayton Cosgrove and David Cunliffe should tell the public when they found out about the allegations against Mary-Anne Thompson, exactly what they knew, how they received that information, and why they opted to keep the whole sorry saga under wraps until the media blew the whistle."