Social Development and Employment, Minister—Police Decision

What event has caused the Minister not to remember what he categorically denied to the police less than 3 months ago, and can he remember providing a signed statement to the police denying that he stuffed a tennis ball into the mouth of one of the students?

My statement to the police is a matter of public record.

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. The fact that the Minister’s statement is on the public record in no way addresses my question. He could stand up—as he will probably now do—and say that in answer to every question. He actually has to address the question.

Yes, he addressed the question by stating that the statement in the police report was a matter of public record. That addressed the question.

No, it does not. With the greatest of respect—

Collins Judith Collins Link to this

I am sorry, it does address the question. Would the member please be seated. I know that the answer may not satisfy the member, but it did address the question.

When the Minister said yesterday to the House: “I am one of the 19 people who either do not recall the alleged events or do not believe they happened.”, in which camp does he fall—is he one who cannot recall it or is he one who thinks it did not happen?

Both.

Why can the Minister—

I have warned members that when a member is asking a question it is heard in silence.

Why can the Minister not remember every detail of every school day 23 years ago and show a memory superior to that of the leader of the National Party, who could not remember a month-old conversation with senators, or a 4-day-old conversation with the Exclusive Brethren?

No, that question is not in order.

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. With respect, I am asking the Minister why he cannot remember every detail of every school day 23 years ago, because that is the core of this issue—whether there is any memory of the event about which the National Party complains. Now, according to the National Party, he should be able to remember those, and I am asking him whether there is any obvious reason why he cannot.

If the question relates to the statement of yesterday, then it is in order, but the Minister is not responsible for anything that happened in the past. He is responsible for his ministerial responsibilities.

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. The key issue is that he says he cannot recall, and that does not relate just to yesterday; it relates to 23 years ago. I want to know why he cannot remember every detail of every school day on which he was professionally occupied 23 years ago, because the National Party thinks that that is a fair question to be asked of this Minister—when its leader cannot remember conversations held 4 days ago.

Collins Judith Collins Link to this

I am sorry, but that question does not relate to the Minister's ministerial responsibilities in the way it is phrased, so I ask for the next supplementary question.

Can the Minister just explain to the House what he meant by saying that he was both a person who did not recall the alleged events and a person who did not believe they happened—how can he be both?

I would have thought that that was self-evident. I do not have any recall of the alleged events, nor do I believe they happened.

Now that the Minister has changed his mind and can no longer remember whether he jammed a tennis ball into the mouth of one of his students—and according to Mr Peters that must have been a fairly regular sort of occurrence—

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. With respect, that cannot be in order, particularly in regard to myself. There is only one member in this House who could have a tennis ball put into his mouth—and that is Rodney Hide.

Both those references to tennis balls were out of order.

Now that the Minister has changed his mind and can no longer remember, categorically, whether he jammed a tennis ball into the mouth of one of his students, has he contacted the police to change his statement in which he categorically denied sticking a tennis ball in a student’s mouth; and, if he has not contacted the police to change his statement, why has he not?