1. Dr DON BRASH (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does she have confidence in all her Ministers, in light of the leak last week of confidential Budget-related Cabinet papers that reportedly wiped $1.8 billion from the market value of Telecom New Zealand Ltd, and what steps has she taken to quickly identify the source of the leak?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes. An inquiry has been established. One hopes it will have more success than investigations into leaked emails from Dr Brash’s office.
Has she asked each of her Ministers individually for an assurance that neither they nor any members of their staff were responsible for the leak of the Government papers; if not, why on earth does she expect this Parliament to take her commitment to find the source of the leak seriously?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
No. I have set up an inquiry with the Minister of State Services. It has the powers of a commission of inquiry, which enables it to require evidence, enter premises, and seize documents, if required. Unlike the party opposite me, we trust each other over here.
Why has the Government, in the past, used eminent counsel, such as the retired High Court judge Sir Rodney Gallen, Helen Cull QC, Kit Toogood QC, Ailsa Duffy QC, and Douglas White QC, to conduct inquiries into more minor matters, yet has decided that a leak of confidential Budget information from the Cabinet room should be investigated by an employee of the State Services Commission; and just what sort of signal does that send about the seriousness with which this matter is being pursued?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I do not recall that any of those matters involved leaks of Government information. The State Services Commission inquiry is a far more powerful inquiry than any of those ones.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
Why does the Prime Minister not take advice from the Leader of the Opposition, who is something of an expert when it comes to leaks, given that I am holding in my hands leaked email documents from his office, including an itinerary from a trip to the United States prior to the 2005 election to recruit US strategists and funders for National’s election campaign; and does she not think that this is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black?
Madam SPEAKERRt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I have asked the Prime Minister whether she seeks to take advice—and it is within her ambit of responsibility to do so—from an expert, which the Opposition can dispute if it likes to do so, on a matter to do with leaks, which is the subject of the question. Which part of that is out of order?
I have ruled that the Prime Minister, as I understood the question, does not have responsibility for what the Leader of the Opposition is doing in that instance.
Why, when previous inquiries have been conducted by independent Queen’s Counsel, is this inquiry being conducted by an employee of the State Services Commission, a person who reports indirectly to one of the Cabinet Ministers being investigated?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I repeat the information I have just given the member: those other inquiries, to the best of my recollection, were not about leaks. This is a classic course for investigating a leak, and was one used by my predecessor, Mrs Shipley.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
Can I ask the Prime Minister whether in the past she has taken advice from members of Parliament, from whatever side of the House; if so, will she not take further advice from the Leader of the Opposition, an expert on leaks given that the leaked information regarding the National Party’s efforts to recruit expensive US strategists explains why National needed so much extra funding in anonymous donations and secret trust accounts compared with any other political party at the 2005 election?
The Prime Minister is not responsible for the Opposition, but she may address the general part of the question.
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
In seeking advice on how to investigate leaks, I obviously would not be seeking the advice of someone as manifestly unsuccessful in ever tracking one down as him.
If, as has been reported, Telecom has already provided the State Services Commissioner with information that includes the name of the leaker, why has that person not been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, given that he or she is a significant security risk in the lead-up to the Budget?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I am absolutely confident that if the State Services Commissioner had information that would identify someone who was indeed a risk to the security of the Government, he would inform people very quickly. But he has informed me that right now he has nothing relevant to report to me.
Does the Prime Minister not understand that an inquiry into the conduct of her Cabinet Ministers that is being conducted by an employee of the State Services Commission and that could take up to a month to conclude looks like a whitewash and a cover-up; and what assurances can she give that the Government is serious about tracking down the source of this leak?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I repeat that I have absolute confidence in my Ministers, unlike the Leader of the Opposition, who cannot have any confidence in his front bench.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
I seek leave to table two documents. The first is an email dated 20 July 2004, seeking to recruit US strategists and money, by the National Party.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
The second is the latest press release from the National Party, showing that it has done a somersault on the deregulation of telecommunications in this country and will support legislation being referred to the select committee.