Sowry Roger: Financial Review Debate — Procedure In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Sowry Roger: Financial Review Debate — Procedure In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:616;Page:11866] 
Hon ROGER SOWRY (National) 
: 
 It would be wonderful if the Prime Minister would take this opportunity today to tell New Zealanders what she has so far avoided telling them which is whether the legislation that she proposes to introduce will put the seabed and foreshore in Crown ownership. Why will the Prime Minister not just stand up in this debating chamber and tell New Zealanders whether her Government will introduce legislation that will guarantee that the Crown has ownership of the seabed and foreshore? I say to the Prime Minister that that is pretty simple; it is not asking too much. For a Prime Minister who spent 4 years swanning around the country telling everybody that she is the most modest Prime Minister she knows that she is a victim of her own success that she is in control of everything that she makes the hard decisions and that she fronts up when no one else will why will she not do it today? Where is she today on these issues? Let us hear from the Prime Minister who came out of a press conference and said: “Bring it on I am ready for the debate.” Let her stand in the Chamber today and tell us quite simply what her Government’s policy is on the seabed and foreshore issue. 
I say to the Prime Minister that it is not as if this issue has just snuck up on her. This issue has been exercising New Zealanders’ minds for over 6 months and the Prime Minister has done nothing other than poll. She has polled on the issue every week for 6 months and she cannot get an answer. It requires a leadership decision—and she will not give it. This is a Prime Minister who is driven totally by the polls. That was so when she was Minister of Housing. She was a Minister who as David Lange once said was tinder-dry and poll-driven. What the polls said was what made her roll Mike Moore in the end. Before that the polls told her to be involved in the rolling of Geoffrey Palmer. Now the polls will not tell her what to do on the seabed and foreshore issue so she is doing nothing. She shows no leadership at all. I say to the Prime Minister that New Zealand wants some leadership rather than her spinning herself into some sort of cocoon so that she cannot move at all. 
I also say to her today that we want to know when we will be seeing this legislation. Why will she not stand up in the Chamber—even if she cannot say she can guarantee that the seabed and foreshore will be in Crown ownership—and say there will be legislation— 
Jill Pettis 
: At least the Prime Minister is in the Chamber. 
Hon ROGER SOWRY 
: The senior Government whip rasps away that at least the Prime Minister—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I say to members that although the member is making a rather robust speech I would like to hear what he has to say. 
Hon ROGER SOWRY 
: The senior Government whip rasps away that at least the Prime Minister is here. I say to the senior Government whip that we have gone back and checked and this Prime Minister has spoken less in the House than any previous New Zealand Prime Minister. Such is her arrogance such is her importance that she does not have to bother with mere drudgery; such is her importance that she does not have to come down and speak in Parliament. In fact people on our side of the Chamber have done the research and Mike Moore spoke more in 3 months as Prime Minister than that Prime Minister has done in 4½ years. That is the difference between the last two Labour Prime Ministers. 
Darren Hughes 
: Rubbish. 
Hon ROGER SOWRY 
: The junior Government whip says that is rubbish. I ask how many times the Prime Minister has spoken on legislation in the House since the last election. 
Mark Peck 
: Lots and lots and lots and lots. 
Hon ROGER SOWRY 
: How many? Give me a number. 
Darren Hughes 
: More than Mike Moore. 
Hon ROGER SOWRY 
: I tell the junior Government whip that the Prime Minister has spoken once on a Security Intelligence Service bill a bill that no one else can speak about—apart from Keith Locke. The Prime Minister has spoken once on legislation since the last election. 
I also want to know why we do not have a timetable from this Prime Minister on the seabed and foreshore legislation. This Prime Minister has more staff than any previous Prime Minister. Gone is the exercise of “We are going to be a frugal Government.” She has more staff and a bigger executive than any Prime Minister of this country has ever had. Most Labour members are reliant upon her for grace and favour in this Chamber—Mr Peck excluded and we can understand that. But that aside this Prime Minister has more advisers in her department yet she says nothing and does nothing. She graces us with her presence here today and I wonder whether she—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order! 
Hon ROGER SOWRY 
: I wonder whether the Prime Minister— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I say to members that Mr Sowry is making a hard-hitting speech and some interjections can be expected but not so many as to drown out the member speaking. The Chair will not allow a member to be drowned out. 
Hon ROGER SOWRY 
: I wonder whether the Prime Minister will grace us with her views today or whether she will take the opportunity to front up to the leader of the National Party Don Brash and debate with him. Why is she so terrified of debating with Don Brash? Why is she so worried about that? Why is she in such a frenzy that she sees conspiracy theories with Television New Zealand reporters and junior press secretaries all scheming to put her up against Don Brash and with her whole political career being ruined by such a debate? What is she so afraid of? Why does she not simply front up in the chair in front of the rest of New Zealand and debate the issues with the Leader of the Opposition? Why is she so worried about it? She has time to paint pictures for charity and to do all sorts of other good deeds. She has time to travel the world—looking for her next job—but she will not front up for 20 minutes on Television New Zealand and debate with the Leader of the Opposition. 
Why not? I suspect it is because she has met her match. This is a Prime Minister who is used to people opening doors driving her everywhere and kowtowing to her and suddenly she has found someone who will stand up to her. The Labour caucus does not stand up to her—oh no—and finally she has found someone who stands up to her. So what does she do? She does what she does best—she hides. This is a Prime Minister who is so bold in a situation she controls but is absolutely determined not to go into one she does not.