National not being included in Govt's coronavirus discussions, Paula Bennett claims

March 19, 2020

While people say that they should be working together, National says they're not seeing it from the Government.

National deputy leader Paula Bennett is firing back at criticism about Simon Bridges' and the party's response to the coronavirus outbreak.

It's a hard time but the Opposition is meant to hold the Government to account, she says - and this is no different.

"We have a job to do in Opposition and it's not always comfortable, but we have to ask the questions at really extreme times like this," she told TVNZ 1's Breakfast this morning.

When Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced a $12.1 billion coronavirus relief package on Monday, he was immediately followed by Mr Bridges' criticising the efforts in Parliament.

Since then, the National leader has scaled back his critiques somewhat and publicly supported some parts of the package.

He maintains not enough has been done for medium and large businesses, which Mr Robertson disagrees with.

Ms Bennett today told TVNZ 1's Breakfast it's a "different environment" in the House and there were questions that hadn't been answered.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has previously extended an invitation to National for their ministers to be included in briefings around the Covid-19 outbreak.

She criticised Mr Bridges' speech on Monday, saying he needed to put politics aside.

Mr Bridges says GPs are telling him they can't test people with symptoms unless they meet strict criteria.

But Ms Bennett says that's not what's happening and they're not being included.

"It's very different from like after the earthquakes in Christchurch, we had ministerial briefings with all MPs involved regularly, multiple times a week. 

"We hear this that people should be working together, yet the reality is that we just didn't see it."

National was calling for support for businesses and stricter border control before the Government brought it in, Ms Bennett says.

"Just a few days before the Government's announcement on Saturday, we were all hearing it's business as usual and everything's fine, and so we started really pushing hard," she says.

"I'd like to think that actually we've been part of the reason that we've seen the Government moving a bit quicker as well when they've really needed to."

The party still has concerns around testing processes and support available for medium and large businesses.

Ms Bennett says they're going to keep pushing, but "we're not going to pose for the sake of it".

While acknowledging that people are going to lose their jobs regardless, the National leader said supporting businesses "has to be the priority".

BALANCE NEEDED BETWEEN 'PROBING AND PATRIOTIC' - SHANE JONES

Also appearing on Breakfast this morning, NZ First MP Shane Jones says he's moved on from Mr Bridges' "off-colour speech".

"The reality is, it's hard to get a balance and fairness to the Opposition between probing and being patriotic," he says.

"I think his own team would've said 'mate, you're a little bit over the top', Kiwis are genuinely suffering. We've got to stop this pettiness."

Another support package is being announced today in the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne region, intended to "inject cash in a short and sharp way".

Mr Jones says the country's facing issues he's never seen before in his lifetime.

"I don't remember a time when we literally will come, for a lot of industry, an island to ourselves," he says.

The Ministry of Health informed the public about eight new cases on March 18.

"If your business depends on the free transmission of people from other parts of the world, your business has just been inverted.

"We're going to see the backbone industries of New Zealand and Kiwis are going to learn how important those backbone industries are, and obviously not exclusively but largely in provincial New Zealand."

There are 20 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, with the latest details to be announced at a Ministry of Health briefing this afternoon.

1 NEWS will be livestreaming the briefing on 1NEWS.co.nz and the 1 NEWS Facebook page.

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