Greens’ funding risky

Remember how Helen gave the Greens a consolation prize of some extra taxpayer-funded staff (beyond their parliamentary budget based on No of MPs).

Well the Auditor-General has found that technically the arrangement is legal because these staff actually work for Helen, they just sit in Jeanette’s office. Isn’t this amazing – staff employed by the PM who work for MPs who are not even in Government.

It is no surprise that the Auditor-General has also said that the arrangements risked breaching the funding rules with a blurring of roles. Well yes when you have the Chief of Staff for the Green Party on Mondays and Tuesdays also working for the Prime Minister the rest of the week, but hey based in Jeanette’s office. So on Mondays and Tuesdays she can give Jeanette political advice and the rest of the week she can only advice on policy.

I mean wasn’t this the sort of arrangement, the term Mickey Mouse was invented for?