News

In a meeting held in the Otago University Staff Club last Tuesday, Labour frontbenchers unanimously decided to back Goff as leader of the Labour Party. The announcement came amid speculation that a change of leadership could be in the works as a result of Goff’s mishandling of the allegations against Darren Hughes.
A week before the meeting, it had become public that an 18-year old had made a sex allegation against Darren Hughes. Many people were concerned that Goff, who had known of the allegations for two weeks when Hughes first offered to resign, chose to keep them a secret.

 
The meeting at the Staff Club had been arranged three weeks previous, before any of the allegations against Darren Hughes came to light. Goff seemed in bright spirits and, while gesturing towards the wheelchair bound Trevor Mallard, joked that it had been a “tough meeting” with “casualties”. Mallard, by contrast, appeared wane and the worse for wear as a result of his cycling accident, an image that was exacerbated by his choice of attire.

 
Mallard spoke to a media gathering on behalf of the frontbenchers after the meeting. He said that everyone had confidence that he had acted in good faith, and that he couldn’t have avoided the outcome of a media focus on the event. He further complained that many “distractions”, including “Pike River and two earthquakes”, as well as the drama within the Labour Party, had taken much media attention away from issues he would prefer to discuss. Among these more discussion-worthy important issues, Mallard listed the cost of living, unemployment and the sale of assets.

 
Goff refuted assertions that the incident had destabilised the party, instead claiming that it had “strengthened” his leadership as the Labour Party had been able to work through their issues.

 
Although the meeting had a large focus on Goff’s handling of the situation with Hughes, the frontbenchers also discussed wider issues, including the impact that the sale of state assets would have, as well as the impact that earthquake recovery would have on the forthcoming budget. Mallard noted his concern that National may try to use the earthquake as a pretext for cutting Working for Families and Kiwisaver, despite Key’s 2008 election promises that he would not do so.