3. Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does he agree with all recent comments by his Minister of Energy and Resources?
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister) Link to this
The Prime Minister is not familiar with every comment made by the Minister. If the member were more specific, he might be able to help him.
Does he agree with Gerry Brownlee that although the National Party never forewarned the public that it was intending to mine in protected and highly sensitive conservation areas, it told the mining industry up to 2 years before the election that it intended to do that?
Mr SPEAKERAfter undertaking to remove protection from highly sensitive environmental areas in the conservation estate, did National ever receive financial contributions from the mining industry?
The Government has not undertaken to remove highly sensitive areas from protections against mining. What it has done is put out a consultation document proposing the removal of some areas from schedule 4. The Government has not made any decision to do that.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question asked whether the National Party had ever received financial contributions from the industry—[ Interruption]
I do not need assistance on this. If that is what the member had asked, he might have got a different answer, but that is not what the member asked.
Hon Rodney HideI raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is also the case, as I am sure you will appreciate, that the Prime Minister has no ability to answer in the House for National.
Why did the National Government tell the mining industry that it intended to mine in the highly sensitive and protected conservation estate, but never bother to tell the public?
How many more times must the hapless Gerry Brownlee be forced to contradict inaccurate statements of fact and figures—
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. You have been very hard, quite correctly, on Ministers who make derogatory comments about members asking questions. I think that should also go for members opposite who ask questions.
No, I do not need further assistance on this. The member makes a perfectly valid point of order, but if, as Speaker, I intervened every time a situation like this arose, I would be intervening far too often. I play the advantage rule, somewhat, and I am sure that once the member introduces that kind of language into a question, a pretty free answer will follow, and members know that.
In answer to the question, I say it is not nearly as often as the hapless Mr Goff, who is pulling smaller crowds than his finance spokesperson at the moment.
Will the Prime Minister take the opportunity while Gerry Brownlee is in Mexico to announce a back-down on mining Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel; if not, when will he announce that back-down?
The Government is following a fully transparent process. It has published a discussion document. In a matter of 4 or 5 weeks’ time submissions on that document will close, and then the Government will make decisions.
In regard to that very transparent process, does the Prime Minister stand by his own comment in the Prime Minister’s statement on 9 February that “Notwithstanding the public consultation process, … the Government will … make significant changes to Schedule 4.”; if he is determined to do that, why go through the farce of bothering with consultation, at all?
We are going through the process of consultation because growing this economy will always involve some difficult trade-offs. It is important that we test how much New Zealanders value, in this case, conservation areas against the possibility of the economic growth that can flow from mining. The Government does not shrink from facing those particular challenges.