2. JOHN KEY (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does she have confidence in the Minister of Corrections; if so, why?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) Link to this
Yes; because he is a hard-working and conscientious Minister.
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Because, in the words of the member who has just asked the question, “in isolation it wouldn’t be a hanging offence, to be perfectly honest.” Those words were uttered by Mr Key on Breakfast television this morning.
Does she think that the track record of Damien O’Connor as Minister of Corrections, a department that has seen a catalogue of errors resulting in the deaths of New Zealanders like Liam Ashley, a situation where there have been massive cost over-runs in prisons, where prison guards are on suspension for illegally bringing in contraband to prisons, and where the priority of the Minister has been to spend money on landscaping, not rehabilitation, therefore warrants his removal as Minister?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
Any Government has, with any Minister of Corrections, a history of prison escapes, riots, offending while on bail, and other undesirable behaviour. What we can also point to is a sharp reduction in prison escapes and serious prison assaults on staff and other prisoners. In other words, quite a lot of good is happening in our prison system.
Hon Phil GoffCan the Prime Minister tell us how many National Ministers resigned when prison escapes were running at 166 a year under National, when under Labour last year it was as low as 20 a year—166 at a peak under National, 20 under Labour?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
As the member has indicated, there has been a very sharp reduction in the number of prison escapes under the Labour Government. One does scratch one’s head to try to find examples of National Ministers, who constantly made mistakes, ever being pulled up or put to other duties.
Will the Prime Minister therefore give New Zealanders an assurance today that Damien O’Connor will remain in his job as Minister of Corrections after the Cabinet reshuffle?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
No more than Mr English would give a guarantee of continued support for Mr Key.
Is the truth of the situation that the Prime Minister has no confidence in Damien O’Connor as Minister of Corrections, and that was why she was pretty quick to condemn him when she was at APEC, but that the reality is that she does not want to sack him today, because that would be to give another scalp to National—and when a Prime Minister has sacked as many Ministers as she has, it starts getting embarrassing?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I am proud as Prime Minister to have actually applied some standards, which is something no National Prime Minister ever did.
Does the Prime Minister feel as though she has been outmanoeuvred by Damien O’Connor, who worked out when he was in the duty-free lounge at Hong Kong airport that the way to keep his job was to text to the Prime Minister that he intended to offer his resignation, knowing that she could not possibly take his resignation in isolation, and that the person who is now looking a fool is the Prime Minister?
Hon Trevor Mallard
Madam SPEAKERDoes the Prime Minister agree with the Dominion Post editorial yesterday that said she leads “a government that has lost touch with public opinion.” and is “dying a death by a thousand cuts and the cuts are self-inflicted.”?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK Link to this
I am proud to lead a Government that does not have someone on its front bench who thinks it is funny to make cracks about why people do not get fat in concentration camps.