Pansy Wong is not the first Minister to get into trouble over using tax-payer money for personal trips. Listen to Nov 9 2009 and Nov 13 2010
for more about this.
Now the Speaker of the House, Dr Lockwood Smith, has decided that all MPs and their partners will lose the right to have cheap international holidays. This is called a perk. Most workers do not get perks as part of their job. Most workers do not get cheap holidays or a free car. Of course MPs will still have free trips overseas if they are on parliamentary business but not for personal business or a holiday. MPs have had this perk since the 1970s.
Most MPs live outside Wellington. All MPs and their partners have free trips within New Zealand; children of MPs can travel to Wellington four times a year for free, and children under five years of age have no limit on travel to Wellington.
There may be an increase in MPs salary instead at some later date.
Questions
1. Why have MPs had this perk?
2. Why do MPs need to travel around the country if they live in Wellington?
3. Do you think husbands or wives of MPs should have free travel within New Zealand?
4. Travel perks were OK in the 1970s but not today. What has changed?