Sir Geoff reminds us that our western democracy is a privilege-based system inherited from Britain: "It is a long-standing constitutional convention that the substance of the advice from the law officers is not shared outside government in England and New Zealand." https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-05-2020/geoffrey-palmer-hallelujah-new-zealand-government-works/
"Professor J Ll J Edwards, in a respected 1984 work The Attorney General, Politics and the Public Interest, stated there is “an impregnable moat” around the law officers’ opinions. Legal professional privilege applies to the crown."
Our local Don Quixote, the leader of the opposition, is having a tilt at this antique windmill. "Bah, humbug!" "Why should tradition trump the principle of transparent governance??"
Good question, but simple Simon hasn't actually thought of articulating it yet. Still, keeping it tacit may not stop folks noticing it…
- Geoffrey Palmer is a coward, a toady, an utter disgrace to this nation; he should be shunned by all decent people.