8

Lockwood cuts loose

by Whaleoil on November 27, 2009

Lockwood Smith has launched into repeaters in the Press Gallery and laid down a challenge.

“If the newspapers do want to have a view and want to lobby on it, I’m very happy to issue them with a lobbyist card and relieve them of their [Press Gallery] offices here, and if they want to be lobbyists – fine.

“You’ve seen how principled I’ve been in the chamber, I’ll take the same approach to other things as well.”

He has a very good point. Just the other day I wrote to the Speakers Office and asked what the square meterage of the facilities offered to the Press Gallery was. The Speakers Office was not obliged to answer because Parliamentary Services which operates parliament is not subject to the OIA.

Fortunately for me the Speakers Office did reply and told me that;

“the Press Gallery occupy approximately 880 square metres. The Gallery, which comprises most of the major media outlets, does not pay rent for this space. As the Executive Wing is owned by the Crown, we do not have a benchmark for the rental value for that space.â€

I had asked for what the Press Gallery was paying for the use of this space and the associated utilities. The answer is of course nothing. A quick check of a Commercial Real Estate agent shows that in such a prime location, exemplary fit-out, plus full utilities shows that Parliamentary Services could rent out that 880 square meters for approximately $350 sqm. Meaning that Prliamentary Services as the landlord is forgoing around $308,000 in rental income. Now I understand that Press Gallery repeaters also get a carpark so add on $150 per week for a covered carpark and for each repeater in the Gallery that comes to $7,800. There are 47 Full members of The Press Gallery so their carparking would be worth another $366,600 bringing the total taxpayer subsidy to news organisations to around $674,600.

Now look who is troughing. Those news organisations don’t have to pay a cent towards the cost of housing those repeaters. For the 47 Full members that equates to $14,353 of taxpayer subsidy to their respective publications. I think it is time the taxpayer sent a bill to those news organisations.

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  • mediatart

    Me thinks the Speaker , thinks himself too grand.

    Why dont the Press gallery charge parliament for all the drivel they are forced to sit through!

    Anyway the old saying you dont go into battle with those who have unlimited supplies of printers ink( or their own TV station)

    This will mean that they will take even more interest in MPs troughing- after all it sells newspapers while Smiths weak gestures dont

  • Dimmocrazy

    Very good point, Whale. Also they should tender press gallery places each year, so the highest bidder gets the press cards and associated office space, say maximised to 50 such cards. This would mean that the new media can gain access as well, on a fair commercial basis.
    I would be very surprised if this would not generate at least 30-40,000 for each press card/year, or between 1.5 to 2 million annually for the lot.
    Love it!!

  • Adolf Fiinkensein

    Not forgetting the electricity, heating and subsidised tucker at Bellamy's. Who pays for phone lines and internet connection?

  • mediatart

    Is Fuhrer ' Lockwood Home' Smith really trying to tell the press not to report as they see fit.?

    Its the end of democracy .
    Its about time the Speaker and his office are open to full OIA scrutiny and not protected like some secret cult

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Whaleoil Whaleoil

      I agree, and the whole of Parliamentary Services

  • TripeWryter

    Robert Muldoon implemented measures too charge the news media for their Press Gallery offices. 1982, if I remember correctly. From memory he backed down.

    But you raise a good point. Various media have been on their hind legs and breast-beating about MPs' expenses and ministerial allowances. I've often said that journalists are the last people to accuse people of wrongdoing, because often their own backyard is hardly free of blemish.

  • Johnno

    The head of the Gallery gets a carpark. To the best of my knowledge no-one else does.

    How many Ministers store their vehicle in the downstairs Ministers’ carparks? A lot of them never seem to move…

  • http://www.avaiki.blogspot.com jason brown

    Yes, yes, let's charge profit-driven media organisations to pay for parliament … and see even less attention 'paid' to parliamentary democracy.

    Another great idea from the right, who know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.

    Perhaps mainstream media should start charging bloggers for every link they make to mainstream news?

    Say 10 cents a click?

    How much would you and I owe the New Zealand Herald for free parking their content, me wonders?

    Baa humbug.