Employees provided Cabinet papers
PA Wellington A Ministry of Agriculture employee, Ms Sue Kedgley, provided the Opposition with confidential Cabinet papers on how the Government runs its publicity campaigns, a departmental inquiry has revealed.
The diretor general of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Malcolm Cameron said on Wednesday it was an “error of judgment” on the part of Ms Kedgley, the Ministry’s director of communications. The material was made public by an Opposition member of Parliament, Mr Simon Upton, prompting a Government inquiry.
The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle, tabled Mr Cameron’s report in, Parliament on Wednesday.
Mr Cameron said his Ministry received the two minutes on publicity 10 days ago and he had given the copies to Ms Kedgley. “I understand Ms Kedgley took part, Monday week ago, in a debate at Ruakura in which Mr Upton was a participant,” he said.
“She advises me that publicity campaigns were mentioned in conversation with Mr Upton and, at his request, she iater provided him with a copy of the minutes.” Mr Cameron said he took responsibility for the unauthorised action and
apologised for it. “There was an error of judgment and protocol on the part of our director of communications, but again I must take responsibility for not ensuring that she was aware of and observed the protocols with Cabinet documents.” He described the action as a “slip up” rather than a “classical leak.” It was different from when people consciously issued papers, he said. “I’m quite confident our systems for handling these things are as good as one can ever get them to be. I think this was just a slip and I’m sure it won’t be repeated.” A spokesman for Mr Moyle also said no further action would be taken.
Ms Kedgley said she had assumed the material was something “every person and their dog knew about” and that its distribution was a straightforward procedure.
Like other journalists who had moved into public sector jobs she was not trained in procedures relating to Cabinet papers, she said.
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Press, 7 October 1988, Page 11
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341Employees provided Cabinet papers Press, 7 October 1988, Page 11
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