Key points
- Luxon will no longer appear at Parliament's "bridge run" on Tuesdays – traditionally an opportunity for the media to ask questions.
- Asked about why he made the change, the PM explained that reporters still had "heaps" of other opportunities, including on Tuesdays.
- However, opposition leaders have said Luxon is ducking questions about his Government. One commentator says the move could be short-sighted.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has revealed he will break with convention and skip a traditional Tuesday opportunity for journalists to ask him questions.
The practice – known as a 'bridge run' or 'tile run' – happens when the PM fields questions from the media on their way into Parliament's debating chamber.
Luxon explained his decision in his post-Cabinet media conference this afternoon, saying that reporters would continue to have plenty of opportunities to talk to him.
"Essentially, in a 24-hour period, you get me here at post-Cabinet for 40 minutes, you get me tomorrow morning doing my media round, and you get me on caucus runs at 10am or 11am later that day, and then on the tiles again at 2pm," he said.
"Within 24 hours, you've got four appointments."
When asked whether this decision would reduce his ability to communicate with the public, he said: "I think there are heaps of opportunities to do that, as you well know."
Speaking to media, the Prime Minister added: "I want to make sure I'm focused on running this country and getting it turned around and sorted.
"And I'm making sure I'm available to you fine folk as much as I possibly can be."
Labour leader Chris Hipkins (Source: Getty)
He continued: "All you're losing is my tile run, which is five minutes on the way into the house from memory … Four appearances in 24 hours is pretty good from any political leader around the world that I've observed."
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins, who faced scrutiny on the tiles when he was prime minister for about 10 months, said the openness of the role was the "nature of the job".
"Fronting up and answering questions is an integral part of the Prime Minister's job. He may not like the questions that he's asked, but it is his job to answer them. Ducking for cover, because he's feeling too much heat, just isn't acceptable," he said.
"If you're the Prime Minister and you're on top of your brief, and know what your government is doing, then answering questions shouldn't be a problem for you."
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the change was a "strange departure".
File photo of the House of Representatives at Parliament (Source: 1News)
"The only real conclusion that we can draw from this very odd and unprecedented move is that he's looking to escape accountability," she said. "It's a strange departure from something that prime ministers, for a very long time before him, have done."
Former National Party press secretary and political commentator Janet Wilson said the decision could be short-sighted if he misses an opportunity to talk to the voters.
"The less he decides to speak, the more dangerous it is for him."
Earlier this year, Luxon also ended a convention of consistently holding post-Cabinet media conferences in Parliament's non-sitting weeks, Newsroom reports.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
