3. Dr DON BRASH (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does she have confidence in all her Ministers; if so, why?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes; because they are hard-working and conscientious Ministers.
How can she, or anyone else, have any confidence in the Hon David Benson-Pope, when last year he assured this House that there had been no complaints against him stemming from his time as a teacher, and it is now abundantly clear that there was at least one complaint alleging serious misconduct against him, stemming from as recently as 1997?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I believe that the Minister answered the question to the best of his recollection. It is worth recalling, of course, that the Leader of the Opposition could not remember a discussion with the Exclusive Brethren weeks after it had occurred.
Is she seriously asking this House to believe that the Hon David Benson-Pope could have forgotten something as serious and as grave for a professional teacher as that he had walked into dormitories of 14-year-old girls when they were changing, and into bathrooms of 14-year-old girls when they were showering?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I believe the Minister to be an honest man who answered the questions to the best of his recollection. I am further satisfied that he behaved in accordance with school policy at the time.
Is the Prime Minister calling the former principal of Bayfield High School a liar—for what other reason could there be for the differences between his account and that of the Hon David Benson-Pope?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
No, because the former principal has not said he ever showed the Minister a letter of complaint. Had National members been prepared to hear the personal explanation, they could have had more issues made plain.
Is the Prime Minister telling the House that it is now acceptable conduct for a Minister to give absolute assurances as to matters of fact, knowing them to be totally untrue?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Ministers should give answers to the best of their ability and recollection—just as Leaders of the Opposition should when confronted with facts they will not deny.
Does the Prime Minister intend to ask the Minister for Social Development and Employment for his resignation; if not, why not?
Does the Prime Minister not understand that all New Zealanders who can read a newspaper or who watch television have now reached their own judgment about Mr Benson-Pope’s credibility, and are now, seeing that she is protecting him, making up their own minds about her own credibility, also?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
The member should not assume that people make the same judgment that he has, just as I do not accept that everybody would have formed the same judgment as I have about his inability to recall a discussion with the Exclusive Brethren about election advertising weeks after it had happened.
Dr Pita SharplesKei te whakaae ia ki te whakapae i tika te kuhu a Hōnore David Benson-Pope ki rō wāhi horoi ringiringi, wāhi moe mō ngā kōtiro tekau mā whā ngā tau, i a rātou e kore mau kākahu ana ahakoa, kāore aua kōtiro i whakaae i tōna kuhutanga ake, nā, ka taea e ia te kī kāore ēnei whakapae e whakaiti iho i ōna mahi minita?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Is the alleged behaviour that the Hon David Benson-Pope entered female showers and dormitories while 14-year-old girls were in various stages of undress appropriate or not, given that the girls themselves objected; and, as a consequence, does she believe that these allegations will lessen his ability to carry out his ministerial responsibilities?]
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I am satisfied that the Minister behaved in accordance with school policy at the time.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
Could I ask the Prime Minister, in the interests of justice and fairness and not railroading someone out of this Parliament on the basis of a trial by media, whether it is likely that in a 24-year career there would be only one instance of the alleged behaviour, and, that being the case, perhaps the Minister should be believed?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
As I have said several times now, I am satisfied that the Minister acted in accordance with school policy at the time. I note that the Associate Minister of Education at the time was the Hon Dr Nick Smith, who does not seem to have had any complaints about Bayfield High School brought to his attention.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
Does the Prime Minister have confidence that her Minister of Finance has considered the impacts of peak oil on New Zealand’s future trade balance, given that rising oil prices account for nearly half the increase in imports to January this year?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Yes, and I am sure that the Minister of Finance will also be fully supportive of policies to find other sources of energy, including the bio-fuels policy, which needs to be further developed.
Keith LockeDoes the Prime Minister have confidence in her Minister of Transport, and that he is sufficiently briefed on the rising oil prices; if so, can she explain why he gives priority to making up a shortfall in new motorway expenditure, as opposed to essential public transport expenditure?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
My understanding is that one of the reasons Transit posited a $686 million shortfall in the roading programme is that increased use of public transport has actually made a heavier call on land transport funds. The Government is investing very heavily in public transport, as well as in roading. Of course, buses do need roads.
Sue BradfordDoes she have confidence that her Minister for Food Safety considered the impact of peak oil on the cost of transporting food around the world, when she opted out of country-of-origin labelling and prevented consumers from limiting their food miles?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I could not, in all honesty, say that that had crossed the Minister’s mind. [ Interruption] But the Minister assures me that it did cross her mind. Perhaps they could have a quiet chat later.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
Does she have confidence in those Ministers who stated, in response to an official information request last year, that they had no idea how much vehicle fuel their ministries consumed; if so, is she confident that they now have plans in place to prepare to make their ministries less dependent on imported oil?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Whether Ministers have found the answer to that question, I do not know. But, as the member knows—because of recent discussions I have had with her—I am of the view that New Zealand needs to think a lot more boldly about issues of moving beyond being an oil-dependent economy. I am aware of other economies, like Sweden, which are looking at how to eliminate the use of oil in their economies within the next 20 years. I think we could well learn a great deal from others who are exploring those possibilities.