National in policy rush

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: The National Party rushed out its housing and building policies yesterday as it tried to stem the embarrassing series of stage-managed releases by Cabinet minister Trevor Mallard.

Mr Mallard has "launched" three of National's policies _ environment, conservation and research, science and technology _ and said they were leaked by an insider.

He has hinted there is more to come and National isn't taking any more chances.

The building and housing policies appeared without notice just hours after Mr Mallard called reporters to say he had the research, science and technology policy.

National's leader, John Key, said there was no leak from within the party and Mr Mallard's latest acquisition was part of a batch that had been left somewhere accidentally.

It is understood National is worried that one of its major policies _ health _ could also end up in the hands of its opponents because it was in the same batch of documents.

The premature release of policy in such a major area would increase the embarrassment National is feeling over the mess.

Mr Mallard said his office received the research, science and technology policy yesterday and he did not know who was providing the policies.

"These things have been coming to my office. They've been coming one at a time and they've always come after the other one has been released," he said.

"I'm not going to ask where they are coming from."

Mr Mallard said the leaks were "a gushing stream" and showed internal problems.

"There is clearly a simmering resentment with John Key who is muzzling the caucus, keeping them out of all decision making and keeping his agenda secret from his own MPs as well as the New Zealand public."

Mr Mallard said someone in National was unhappy, and if that person wasn't a caucus member it was someone who had access to unreleased policy.

Mr Key said it was his guess that one of the party's MPs had left the bundle of policy documents somewhere in the precincts of Parliament, someone had picked them up and given them to Mr Mallard.

"I'm not going to go through them all, because you don't know if they've got them all, but there is a batch of them together.

"I can tell by the document we've seen that it came from that batch."

Mr Mallard said he understood the science policy went to National's caucus in a separate batch from the earlier policies. "So that [Mr Key's] argument doesn't stack up."

Mr Key was asked if the releases were embarrassing.

"In one sense it's good they [Labour] have some policy to release, because they certainly don't have any of their own," he replied.

The research, science and technology policy raised questions in Parliament yesterday because it proposes scrapping the Fast Forward innovation and development fund and replacing it with direct government funding.

Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton said National was proposing replacing a $2 billion fund with spending of $25 million a year and it would take 80 years to equal the Fast Forward fund.

"This is the greatest leap backwards since the Catholic Church tried Galileo for his theories," Mr Anderton said.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said she was "horrified" by the policy.