Brown Peter: Border Security Bill — In Committee 
Brown Peter: Border Security Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:617;Page:13285] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I think this side of the Chamber with United Future has put a convincing argument why the Government should abolish the idea of putting up fees. The Greens have given us the philosophy of why it should not do that but I am not sure where they stand on it; it appears that they are still going to vote for it. 
I would like bring to the Committee’s attention part of a speech that Helen Clark gave to the New Zealand Tourism Industry Association conference just before the election. It was in July 1999 when she was the Leader of the Opposition. She said: “There is one other significant issue of public policy which I wish to highlight today. A coalition of tourism industry interests was instrumental in forcing the Government”—that is the National Government—“to postpone its plans to introduce the user-pays regime for border control services which was announced in the Budget last year. I can announce formally today that that regime will not be established by the incoming Labour Government. We will continue to fund those border control activities which the State presently funds. Funding such core responsibilities has a far higher priority for us than the meaningless dribs and drabs of tax cuts announced by opponents.” 
In addition I would also like to draw the attention of the Committee to a letter written by the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand just after the Labour Government came to power in 1999. A line in there referring to that speech states: “We also appreciated your confirmation that border control is a core State function which should be funded by Government.” A letter that the Prime Minister sent to the aviation industry in response to that letter has a handwritten note on the side written by the Prime Minister which states: “PS Yes there is a Minister for Civil Aviation Mr Gosche and we will be honouring the commitment we gave you re border control.” It is signed “HC”. 
Shane Ardern 
: Who’s HC? 
PETER BROWN 
: I can only conclude as it came from the Prime Minister’s office that that is the Prime Minister. Well it came from “Leader of the Opposition House of Representatives Wellington”—that is it was written when she was Prime Minister elect. 
I ask the Minister sitting there how the dickens the Government can say that this country should act under the regime of good faith in everything it does when the Prime Minister makes that sort of commitment to a section of industry and now is rolling over on it completely. Border control as many of us have stated many times tonight is a legitimate cost of the taxpayer. It is not Dr Cullen’s personal money. It is not Helen Clark’s personal money. It is the taxpayer’s money and it is legitimate fair and reasonable that some of it is used to make this country safe and secure for all of us—absolutely all of us. [ 
Interruption 
] I am glad Mr Carter has alerted me to Mr Tisch’s amendments. I was not aware of them. We will read them if we can get a copy—I can get one off the Table—and we will support the deletion of the clauses that I think Mr Carter referred to. 
This is absolutely unfair it is unreasonable and it is unnecessary. It has been made quite clear in this Committee tonight that everybody would support this bill if it were fair and reasonable and the costs fell where they should and that is on the taxpayer. The member over there thinks it is a joke. He thinks it is a laughing matter. I can tell the member over there that this country is all the better for internal and external trade and we should be looking after exporters and importers— 
Shane Ardern 
: Where is his name on this? 
PETER BROWN 
: The member here is holding up the pledge card. I cannot see that the Labour members are terribly interested in that now. That is all history. That is something that one says in Opposition and one wants to get into Government then when one— 
Hon David Carter 
: The “Maharey principle”! 
PETER BROWN 
: That is it—the “Maharey principle”.