1. JOHN KEY (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does she stand by her statement that “I would have thought in election year as usual Government departments would bend over backwards to make sure that nothing they did could possibly be construed as electioneering.”, and what advice, if any, has she received about the effect of the Electoral Finance Bill on election-year advertising by Government departments?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Deputy Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes. My understanding is that the bill will shortly be back before the House, which will then enable some informed debate to occur.
Does she still think that the Ministry of Health is bending over backwards to avoid being seen as electioneering, when it is planning a significant advertising campaign to publicise the benefit of the Government’s Primary Health Care Strategy, and when that advertising campaign will begin in April 2008, 4 months into what the Electoral Finance Bill says is the regulated election period?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
Any advertising by any Government department would be expected to be cleared by the Auditor-General in advance. I would assume that the cheaper doctors’ fees and pharmaceuticals would be regarded as even mildly political only if the National Party was promising to increase those doctors’ fees again. Perhaps the member might care to clarify that point now.
R Doug WoolertonDoes the Prime Minister agree with New Zealand First that there is a long history of precedents for Government departments to follow in an election year, and that to stray from those precedents in the Electoral Finance Bill would be to do the very thing that John Key purports to rail against?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
Clearly a great deal of advertising is carried out by Government departments as a matter of course. For example, the Inland Revenue Department always advertises things like the due dates for provisional taxation payments. But one would not expect the Inland Revenue Department to act in a manner that would reduce those payments just because it happens to be election year, when they would have to be paid at the end anyway.
Can the Deputy Prime Minister explain the reference to campaigning that he just used in his last answer, and is it similar to the one that is being told to Ministry of Health staff who man the 0800 number, when they are told to say: “Here are some achievements and milestones in health over the past 6 years. It then may help to tell callers about these.”, and then to list every strategy, plan, and guideline that Labour put out in 2001; and why does the Prime Minister not just admit that this is a taxpayer-funded campaign all right, for the Labour Party?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
The Prime Minister advised that even the Deputy Prime Minister occasionally makes a slip of the tongue. The Prime Minister has further advised that unlike the Leader of the Opposition, the Deputy Prime Minister is not afraid to go on Agenda because he is scared in case he does make a slip of the tongue.
Is the Prime Minister’s policy that Government departments’ advertising should be exempt from the provisions of the Electoral Finance Bill; if so, why?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
There is no change in relation to Government advertising. Those advertising campaigns have to be cleared through the Auditor-General if departments are all wise about how they approach those matters, particularly in an election year. That would be the expectation of the Government.
Does the Prime Minster stand by her statement yesterday that “Come election year, particularly as the months go by, government advertising becomes pretty sparse.”, and if she does, can she just explain this to the House: why was it that in 2005, an election year, Government-funded advertising totalled $69 million, an all-time high and much more than was spent in 2003, much more than was spent in 2004, much more than was spent in 2006, and much more than has been spent in 2007 so far?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
My understanding is that there were new entitlements in some areas in 2005, which, of course, the National Party members believe people should not take up. Their idea is that one passes policies to help people but hopes they do not take advantage of them, because that might cost some money.
Is the Prime Minister frustrated that not only has the Deputy Prime Minister told Parliament this afternoon the truth, which is that Government departments are told in election year to just campaign on behalf of the Government and that the numbers stack up as they have spent more in election year than in any other year, or is the Prime Minister more frustrated by the fact the New Zealand Herald has pointed out to New Zealanders the truth that this Government is a disgrace, and that at the bottom of the page it says that all of this “will be Labour’s epitaph.”, which is being written as we speak?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
That last bit certainly showed that the New Zealand Herald is a totally unbiased media organisation, does it not? It certainly makes that very, very clear! What I am surprised about is that the , unlike almost every member of the House, does know in detail what is in the Electoral Finance Bill as reported back. That is a remarkable achievement on its behalf.
Was the answer to that question not just typical of Labour members? In this case they are blaming the New Zealand Herald. Last week they were blaming Treasury. The week before that they were blaming some other bunch of officials. When will they look in the mirror and realise they are the problem?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
We will stand by an unemployment rate that is the lowest ever recorded in New Zealand’s history. We will stand by 25 percent real household income growth. We will stand by cheaper doctors’ fees and cheaper pharmaceuticals. We will—
Madam SPEAKERHon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
We will stand by the achievements of this Labour-led Government against the complete inability of the National Party to have policy on anything. The man who is asking these questions has refused to go on Agenda because he is scared he will make a mistake when he goes on it.