8. Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Labour) Link to this
to the Leader of the House
Is it Government policy that no bill will be referred to a select committee if it was National Party policy for the general election 2008?
Hon Dr Michael Cullen Link to this
How does the Minister reconcile that fulsome answer with the fact that last week the only reason he gave for bills not being referred to select committees was that they were in the National Party’s election policy?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
Because they were. It may surprise the Minister to learn—[ Interruption]—the member; I am sorry. I know from long and bitter experience how much the member on that side of the House loves those little moments. It may surprise the member to learn that the Government has decided in the very short time prior to the very, very long Christmas break that it wanted to advance some legislation that it felt was important for the economy.
Hon Dr Michael Cullen Link to this
Does the increasing confusion just expressed by that supplementary answer over his management of the Government’s business in the House reflect the new Government’s instruction to officials to avoid the use of words such as “strategy”, “collaboration”, and “coordination” in Government reports, or is that just a coincidence?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
I am struggling to understand what Dr Cullen is so upset about. It would be interesting to know what Dr Cullen is so upset at. I look at his own record and I look at his performance over the last 9 years, and I tell you what, I have learnt a thing or two off him. I recall Dr Cullen coming into this House and introducing the 2006 Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill. There was no bill on the Table and no explanation to Parliament, and that is because it was the bill that made legal the terrible pledge-card spending of the Labour Party. At least every bill we have put in does good—
Mr SPEAKERThe member will resume his seat. Answers to questions are not meant to be opportunities for major speeches.
Hon Simon PowerIs the Leader of the House confident that all members of the House could ask meaningful questions during the select committee process, and has he received any reports about the lodging of oral questions?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
I must report to my fellow Minister that I have grave concerns about that. I heard a report this morning about a member of this House of very high standing, a member who has some 24 years’ experience, a member who spent 15 of those years as a Minister, a member who we might have thought would understand the question and answer process quite well, but here we are in the first day of question time in the new Parliament, and that member completely mishmashed and hashed up his question lodging to a point where, somewhat embarrassingly, he had to resubmit it. That member, of course, was none other than the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Phil Goff.
Hon Dr Michael Cullen Link to this
Of course, the National Party never had to resubmit a question. Does the Leader of the House now consider it good policy to refer bills to select committees; if so, will he discuss with his colleague the Minister of Energy the desirability of referring the legislation to repeal the mandatory biofuels requirement to a select committee, as it is likely to cost jobs in New Zealand and make it easier to import unsustainable biofuels?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
The matter of the biofuels bill will be discussed this afternoon and all of the relevant information sought by the member will be given. Does this House recall whether a bill was sent to a select committee after a long period of extraordinary urgency, when the House went through until 5 o’clock in the morning, putting a little bit of extra tax on grandma’s sherry—
The member will sit down and resume his seat. The honourable member will resume his seat when I stand. I just remind the member that, having answered the question, he should not go on to make a speech. I think it is something that both sides of the House need to be aware of. Some questions have been too long and some answers have been too long. There is some fault on both sides.