"basic reference checks" were not the SIS's job???

SIS vetting under microscope
Prime Minister John Key is expected to take action on Monday over the Security Intelligence Service's apparent failure to identify Stephen Wilce's alleged dishonesty.

The spy agency took no action to remove Mr Wilce during his five years as this country's top military scientist, yet an Auckland yacht club exposed him as a fantasist within a few months.

This farce just gets more ridiculous doesn't it? This moron was in charge of 80 staff, had access to our deepest secrets and was advising the bloody Government for 5 years on technology and scientific matters. Kudos again to TV3 for reminding NZ what real journalism can do by holding the powerful to account, but the most ridiculous thing to be said over appointing a fantasist to the head of the Defence Technology Agency...

Earlier, Mr Key told 3 News that "basic reference checks" were not the SIS's job.

"Their responsibility is to gather information that might be relevant in terms of the security clearance of the individual.

"It's not actually checking what's written down on his CV is necessarily accurate."

..WTF? The fuckiing SIS can spend decades spying on Keith Locke and spy on the sex lives of Green Party members but they don't do the most basic security checks on someone advising the Government at the highest levels with the highest security security clearance?

Rather than vomiting up bullshit excuses like this, John Key needs to put the blame where it deserves to go - Helen Clark and the man he just bewilderingly appointed to the Independent Police Conduct Authority - Richard Woods.

Surely heads must roll over this???