4. Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Leader—National) Link to this
to the Minister of Justice
Is it Government policy that all political party logos must carry a promoter statement in the regulated period, no matter what the context in which they are used; if so, why?
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Justice) Link to this
The Electoral Finance Act 2007 sets out the rules to be administered by the Electoral Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer. It is to those independent agencies that the member should direct his question.
Can she confirm reports that almost 7 months into election year, after 2 years of Labour putting the Electoral Finance Act through Parliament, the Electoral Commission has still not decided whether party logos by themselves are election advertisements; and can she understand the frustrations of MPs and party activists, given that we still do not know the answer to the basic question of whether a display of a party logo is legal or illegal under her Government’s law?
I am aware of a comment made in the New Zealand Herald by Dr Catt from the Electoral Commission that there were some differences of opinion amongst commissioners and they are working through that. I am also aware that she said that she disputes the claims made by Bill English that she had suggested during a private meeting of political parties in the Speaker’s office last week that logo advertisements needed authorisation. It seems to me that Bill English was up to his old tricks of making things up for political purposes.
Can the Minister tell the House the answer to this question: if I am making it up, why could she not answer the primary question, which she has had since 10 o’clock this morning, which is this: is it Government policy that party political logos must carry a promoter statement—can she answer that question?
Hon Dr Michael Cullen Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. On what the Minister previously said, I wonder whether she could explain to us how Mr English believes that Ministers get copies of questions at 10 o’clock, when they are not delivered until close to an hour later than that?
Madam SPEAKERI can tell the member that it is not Government policy to do anything other than to obey the Electoral Finance Act.
Has the Minister, who seems to think I am making it up, seen the statement by Helena Catt on the issue of whether party logos are a political advertisement: “this is a ‘pressing issue but it is not an easy issue, so we have to work through differing views’.”, and what are MPs meant to think?
Can the Minister of Justice answer this question, which is directly relevant to what the Government does, not just MPs: will it be legal to have a party logo on the ballot paper, as has been the tradition now for many elections, without an authorisation?
No, I will not give an opinion on that. It will be up to the independent agencies to decide that, not me.
Can the Minister tell us when the independent agencies will make up their minds about party logos, given that the law has been in force now for 7 months, and no political party or member of Parliament knows whether it is legal to display their party logo on a pen, on a piece of paper, or on a T-shirt?
The member should look up the word “independent”. The agencies are independent; they are not told by Bill English or by the Government what they should do.
Will the Minister take advice about her own party logo that is sitting on her bench in front of her, which appears to be the only one in the House that does not have an authorisation on it—and, therefore, while she is answering questions she is also breaking the law in regard to the Electoral Finance Act?
If Bill English is such an expert on what the Electoral Finance Act means, having just given a ruling, I suggest he applies that to his own party.
Can the Minister just explain to the public and the House whether the situation is that Labour spent most of this term putting together the Electoral Finance Act, after 2 years of official advice, it spent about 8 months pushing it through Parliament and select committees, and now, 7 months into an election year, it cannot answer one simple question, and that is whether we can legally display a party logo—how bloody ridiculous is that?
Rt Hon Helen Clark Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. It is not my understanding that swear words are permissible in the House, and I would ask that that word be withdrawn.
In the context of the question, that word was unnecessary and added nothing to the question. Would the member just withdraw it, please.
What I can tell the member is that the National Party has spent 7 months of this year wasting its party finances on disputing every part of the Electoral Finance Act, because it does not like the fact that it cannot spend the war chest that it thought it would be able to spend before the election. National now has to be transparent, it has to be honest, it has to say where its money comes from, and it has to declare whether the money comes from its big backers like the Exclusive Brethren. That is what National does not like.