The Act Party caucus has ousted Heather Roy and replaced her as deputy leader with John Boscawen.Act leader Rodney Hide made the announcement, saying Prime Minister John Key had agreed to amend the National-Act confidence and supply agreement.Mr Hide also
The Act Party caucus has ousted Heather Roy and replaced her as deputy leader with John Boscawen.
Act leader Rodney Hide made the announcement, saying Prime Minister John Key had agreed to amend the National-Act confidence and supply agreement.
Mr Hide also announced a reshuffle of the party's portfolios:
• John Boscawen will replace Heather Roy as Minister of Consumer Affairs and will also take Mr Hide's Associate Commerce portfolio,
• Mr Hide will take on the Associate Education portfolio and the party will drop its involvement with the Associate Defence portfolio.
"We need our best team to contest the election next year and we have a big job keeping the government focused on lifting income levels in New Zealand. We are still not on the right track to closing the wage gap with Australia," Mr Hide said.
He said having Mr Boscawen as deputy leader would also help Act’s campaign against the ETS.
David Garrett will continue to be party whip.
Mrs Roy and fellow MP Sir Roger Douglas tried to remove Mr Hide late last year.
Act has only five MPs, and would not be in Parliament but for Mr Hide winning the Epsom electorate in the 2008 election – the party won only 3.65% of the vote, below the 5% threshold required to win seats in Parliament without an electorate.
