Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Greens hit back at PM

Updated at 12:43 pm on 25 June 2012

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says the Prime Minister has launched a desperate attack on the Greens as a distraction to public opposition to partial asset sales.

In media interviews on Monday morning, John Key accused the Greens of hypocrisy.

He says the Greens said they did not have enough money to pay for support services for deaf MP Mojo Mathers, but are now using funds from taxpayers to pay workers to collect signatures for a petition against asset sales.

Dr Norman says the Greens never said they did not have the money to pay for support services for the MP, but believed Parliament as a whole should pay.

He says Mr Key knows he has lost the public argument over asset sales and his criticism of the Greens is a bottom of the barrel measure.

Legislation paving the way for partial asset sales is expected to have its final reading in Parliament this week.

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