Arena’s story unwinds even more

Newshub reports:

Labour MP Arena Williams claims she was never trying to suggest her father was forced to choose between heating and medicine with a tweet that’s caused a furore online and been fact-checked by Twitter.

National MP Judith Collins is labelling the tweet “very dishonest” and is “surprised” Williams hasn’t apologised and deleted it.  …

The tweet was fact-checked through Twitter’s community notes programme. It added the extra context that the $5 co-payment is only paid on 20 items per year, so there’s a maximum annual charge of $100. That would mean Williams’ father would only have to pay the $50 for two months.

But Williams, who earns more than $163,000 per year, was also questioned online over why she was suggesting her father had to choose between heating and medicine, especially given that it’s emerged her father lives with her. …

It’s now emerged that Williams lives with her father, and Collins is calling it a “very dishonest tweet”.

“I thought it was very misleading. I thought very disappointing bringing her dad into the debate like that,” she said on Tuesday.

She’s “surprised” Williams hasn’t deleted the tweet or apologised for it.

Collins received criticism for her initial response. Asked on Tuesday if she had been vindicated, Collins said: “I think that’s the thing with the truth, it always comes out.”

This was very bad judgment. When you and your partner are on $400,000+ a year and your father is living with you., you don’t tweet implying that he has to choose between heating his room and paying $100 a year in prescription fees.