Phil Goff

By Chris Ormond of NZPA

Wellington, June 14 NZPA - Labour Party MPs Shane Jones and Chris Carter have been bumped from the front bench and stripped of important portfolios after misusing taxpayer-funded credit cards when they were ministers.

Along with stripping Mr Jones of his environment and economic development portfolios, and Mr Carter of his "treasured" foreign affairs portfolio, party leader Phil Goff also relieved Mita Ririnui of his forestry portfolio for misspending.

Mr Goff said he was yet to decide how far down the list to put Mr Jones and Mr Carter, who are ranked 11th and seventh respectively, while Mr Ririnui was already low on the order. Their replacements were likely to be announced tomorrow.

When Official Information Act documents were released last Thursday all three MPs were shown to have spent taxpayer money on items not covered under the rules, later making refunds from their own accounts.

Mr Jones' spending included pay-per-view pornographic movies while staying in hotels, while Mr Carter was shown to have racked up large bills while travelling overseas on numerous trips, although he held largely domestic portfolios like education.

Jones paid back more than $5000, while Carter reimbursed $251. Mr Ririnui paid back $899 spent at Rocket Bikes in Tauranga and $682 for golf clubs he bought while he was in Australia.

Mr Goff said he spoke to the three MPs yesterday after returning from a trip to China, and made his decisions last night.

In relation to Mr Carter, he said the misspending was minor and wouldn't have warranted him losing his portfolio, but public controversy about the cost and frequency of his travel needed to be taken into account.

He said Mr Jones was likely to get a significant drop in ranking, while Mr Carter would move to the second bench.

"It's a mitigating factor that Shane has paid the money back and that he has fully accepted personal responsibility for what he did. I believe he will learn from that experience."

He said Mr Carter had invested his career in hoping to obtain the foreign affairs portfolio, and the sanction would be a big blow for him.

Mr Ririnui's expenditure had honest intent, but was significant and obviously outside the rules.

Mr Goff wasn't expecting resignations, but said the MPs "will be bruised by their experience...they will want time to consider what their Parliamentary future is".

The MPs had accepted the decision and realised there needed to be consequences.

While Mr Jones has been up-front about his actions, Mr Carter has been more defensive about the extent of his general spending. Mr Goff said Mr Carter believed there was justification for some of the spending which has come under scrutiny, but he was comfortable the MP had accepted mistakes were made.

Mr Goff said he had to date not seen any further examples of repeated card misuse which would warrant sanctions.