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National | Budget

Finance minister's response after being urged to resign

After being urged to resign, finance minister Grant Robertson has spoken out about how disappointed he feels that the confidential Budget information was leaked.

According to a Treasury statement, the information on the budget was accessed early via a clone website.

“I am also very disappointed that the Treasury did not seek to find more information as to how this happened before referring the matter to the Police,” he said in a statement today.

National party leader Simon Bridges says Robertson and Treasury head Gabriel Mahklouf should resign and the budget leak saga "shows deep dishonesty".

“Ministers have also been dishonest. Grant Robertson has been playing politics and made it clear it was a hack. He is donkey-deep in this and having been briefed by his Treasury, he must resign. He does not have moral authority to deliver this budget.”

But Roberston he says he's focussed on delivering the Wellbeing Budget today, "which will start to fix many of the long-term problems facing New Zealand.

“I now await the inquiry of the State Services Commissioner into this matter."