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'We will test Key', says Shearer

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'We will test Key', says Shearer

3News NZ

Daivid Shearer and John Key

Daivid Shearer and John Key

By Peter Wilson

Prime Minister John Key will again be under pressure in Parliament this week over the Government Communications Security Bureau's surveillance of Kim Dotcom.

Since Parliament went into recess two weeks ago it has been revealed the GCSB's involvement in the case was mentioned during a visit Mr Key made to the agency's headquarters in February, and he has previously said he first knew about it on September 17.

Mr Key says he can't remember any reference to Dotcom during the February briefing, but on Tuesday he will apologise to Parliament for giving it incorrect information.

The Labour Party will take it from there.

"We will test him on that", Labour leader David Shearer told NZ Newswire.

"There are still questions around it and the issue is broader than that - it is about the need for a wider look at our intelligence agencies."

Mr Key says he didn't know the GCSB's surveillance of the internet tycoon was illegal until the agency's director, Ian Fletcher, told him on September 17.

Labour, the Greens and NZ First are accusing him of neglecting his duties as minister in charge of the GCSB and the Security Intelligence Service.

"John Key has either taken his hands off the wheel or there is something more there that we don't know," Mr Shearer said.

"We will continue to demand a wide-ranging, independent inquiry because New Zealanders need to have confidence in the intelligence agencies."

United States authorities want to extradite Dotcom to face allegations of copyright piracy, and the GCSB spied on him before he was arrested in January.

At question time on Tuesday ministers will also be grilled about the security flaw in Work and Income's computer kiosks.

They have been closed down since blogger Keith Ng revealed sensitive data could be accessed through them.

NZN

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Comments

20/10/2012 9:16:26 p.m.

Phil wrote:

get over it! Shearer has got nothing and National caught you out on it. Now lets get back to politics aye, instead of finger pointing and trying to save face...

16/10/2012 6:26:14 p.m.

Deborah wrote:

Good on Shearer, he is quite right to challange key about this. Key lies to the nz public and no one does any thing about it, he just sits there looking smug. This video, which Shearer never said he had but just that is exisited, should NOT be a reason to attack Shearer. He was right about it which Key admitted in parlament today yet they are making Shearer look bad because he doesn't have the video which again he never said he had. Key has a lot to answer for, he lied about dot com, he lied to th pike river families, he lied about creating jobs- guess we are meant just sit back and see what he lies about next!

16/10/2012 3:04:31 p.m.

Noleen fahey wrote:

Who cares.......Move on...........there is more important problems that need attention.

16/10/2012 2:36:18 p.m.

Carlos wrote:

This must be a "tui ad".

16/10/2012 1:49:07 p.m.

david wrote:

Must say all this petty sniping is getting tedious. These people should get on with what we, the people, elected them to do and that is to govern this country, not score brownie points. If they can't or won't be allowed do their job, they might as well not be there. In this country there is too much pc and too much bs - a job which should take a week tends to take a year. To progress we need our leaders to earn their keep (and their excessively generous perks) and get on with the job the were elected to do - quickly and efficiently.

16/10/2012 1:00:39 p.m.

Dianne wrote:

All these parties can do is carry on about one another , what about running the country.

16/10/2012 12:50:51 p.m.

whats important wrote:

i wish we could hear policies from the opposition partys// wouldnt that be nice and constructive. Labour was in for nine years and didnt "save" our country so maybe a little greens is good a little labour is good but as a country we have to be realistic about how small we are and America is an ally no matter what we think of some of their crazy ideas Obviously China and Asia will become our biggest Allies eventually as we are in that part of the world and Australia has large ties to Asia and the US. NZ has been a bit loose with security for years as we seem to think we live in a little bubble and security is not the same here as it is elsewhere from getting on planes to internet security its going to have to be tightened up loads which means cameras everywhere and all sorts of other restrictions welcome to the real world of hacking,nasty people and cynicism

16/10/2012 12:40:24 p.m.

Seannachie wrote:

With a Miniterial ban on the disclosure by GCSB of information about the Dotcom raids placed by Bill English in August on behalf of John Keys it is disingenuous of John Keys to request the disclosure of a video that was corroborative of the fact that he had earlier knowledge of the dotcom raids.

16/10/2012 12:21:08 p.m.

Kathy wrote:

Richard it goes back to the National Government beofre labour and so on. The difference being here that Shearer wasnt involved in any of it, and perhaps and good clean out of both National and Labour is what is needed. But shearer has nothing to fear as you insinuate as he has never been in charge of the country or the GCSB.

16/10/2012 11:12:14 a.m.

dennis wrote:

@Katrina. When the whereabouts of your, dog's raggy old bone is "information" classifiable by Government, and perhaps salable to the neighbour's dog, it matters! I support Mr Shearer and Dr Norman and their respective shadow attorneys general as the correct forum for inquiry, as National and the Governor General are compromised and Paul Neazor is not keen to dig, or accepts the word of the Executive Officer, who is covering his agency's childish behaviour