1. GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does she stand by the statement in the Speech from the Throne in 1999 that her Government would “restore public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament and the electoral process”?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Deputy Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes; by keeping our promises—unlike National in the 1990s.
If the final report of the Auditor-General finds that the Labour Party has unlawfully appropriated funds from the leader’s budget, will she now guarantee to the New Zealand public that she will follow the advice of the Auditor-General given in the New Zealand Herald on Sunday last week that the remedy is to reimburse it; if not, why not?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
The Labour Party has consistently taken the position that it acted within the rules as they were understood at the time.
When she states, as she has done on numerous occasions: “That is why I say political parties are entitled to fairness, consistency, and natural justice.”, is she suggesting that she has no confidence in the Auditor-General, who, in simply carrying out his statutory obligations, discovered the outrageous rort of the taxpayer fund by the Labour Party to pay for the $446,000 pledge card?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
The Prime Minister is saying that the pledge card was essentially the same as the National Party’s pledge pamphlet and advertising put out in 2002, that the rules were essentially the same, and that if one was outside the rules then the other was outside the rules.
Has the Prime Minister seen any reports that during the year 2003 the Parliamentary Service Commission met on numerous occasions to discuss the rules because there was dissatisfaction with the 2002 election, and the consequence of that was a reaffirmation of those rules, with an addition to state that party leaders and members would be responsible for that expenditure, and a commitment to stick to those rules; if she has not, why has not the Deputy Prime Minister handed that information on to her?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
Contrary to yet another factual mistake by the Opposition, the Deputy Prime Minister was not on the group that carried out that survey.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
No, he was not. The Deputy Prime Minister has Mr Burton representing him on the Parliamentary Service Commission and has done so since the 1999 election.
Has she seen the statement today from Michael Morris, chair of Transparency International, saying: “By using money intended for legitimate parliamentary purposes to help get votes, and then to avoid the issue of culpability, brings the law, the people who make the law, and the system that generates the law into public contempt.”; if so, what is her response to Mr Morris and Transparency International?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
My response is to congratulate them on also observing that setting up front organisations through which funds can be channelled in excess of legal limitations or smuggling hidden slush funds into party coffers is to be deplored.
Has she been party to any discussion about the future use of her Labour leader’s office funding, and can she assure us that the 2008 pledge card will not be funded from that source?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I am sure the Prime Minister has been party to discussions about the use of the Labour leader’s fund. No decision has been taken yet as to whether the Labour Party will issue a 2008 pledge card. The one thing that is sure is that if we do, we will keep our promises. If National does, and by any chance it gets elected, it will break them.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
In the interests of “restoring public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament and the electoral process”, what is the Prime Minister’s view in respect of a political party using its legal advisers to advise an outside third party on how it might collude to avoid the outside third party’s costs being included in the political party’s election and campaign expenses?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I think given the matter that is being referred to, the first thing to be said is that it does not meet the fundamental standards of Christian morality.
Has the Prime Minister seen any reports suggesting that New Zealand First has used considerable amounts of that taxpayer funding for its election campaign activities—
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. With respect, that is not in the purview of any Minister, and the deputy leader of the National Party for the time being knows that.
Madam SPEAKERThe question was phrased in terms of reports, and this is a very general question relating to public confidence and integrity. [ Interruption] The member has not finished the question?
I was asking the Prime Minister whether she has seen any reports suggesting that New Zealand First used considerable amounts of that sort of funding for its election campaign, and did any of those reports include the line: “Don’t worry. We can fix it.”?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
On the latter point, New Zealand First is helping the Government to fix it, and, particularly, is fixing National. On the former point, I am aware of reports that every party in this House has used that fund for similar purposes.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
On the issue of restoring public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament and the electoral process, what is to be made of a party’s denial of knowledge and understanding of, and involvement with, a third party outside this Parliament spending $1.2 million in a campaign to assist the political party inside this Parliament, when its legal advisers were the same people?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I think that literally meets the definition of the term “cover-up”.