1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterRt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Prime Minister): Yes and especially the steps that we are taking to restore confidence in New Zealand's energy industry. New Zealand needs a rational energy policy but instead previous Governments spent years undermining private sector investment creating the conditions for future shortages and pricing spikes. Now Kiwis are experiencing the consequences. This morning Simeon Brown called in the gen-tailers to make clear that they must be competitive in the energy market. We're taking action to restore confidence in the energy sector and to enable investment. That means ending the ban on oil and gas it means cancelling Lake Onslow it means bringing in fast track to enable more investment including renewables and of course it's all part of our plan to rebuild the economy and to make sure we have energy security.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does his Minister for Trade's statement You're not in Mexico now. We don't do things like that here." and subsequent dismissal of concern calling it "friendly banter" reflect the standard of behaviour he expects from his Ministers?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: It was good to see the Minister withdraw and apologise for that statement.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Is he aware that the number one excuse invoked by the perpetrators of harassment in the workplace—be it racism sexism or otherwise—is to excuse that behaviour as friendly banter and if so is that the type of workplace culture he is trying to create?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well I'll just say it's a bit rich coming from that member who this morning just a few hours ago was on Radio New Zealand exhorting the fact that everybody needs to watch their rhetoric—a message that I have played back over a number of months—and yet he has a former Minister and a senior MP condoning putting up a video saying that I'm killing children. I don't think that's appropriate.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption]SPEAKER: Points of order are heard in silence.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: The Prime Minister doesn't have any responsibility for other members of Parliament. He does have responsibility for Ministers in his Government and that was what my question was about. It was about a comment made by a Minister in his Government.SPEAKER: Yes I think the Prime Minister was making a point but I'll ask the Prime Minister to add to his answer.Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: As I've been saying I'm asking all political leaders to watch their rhetoric.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: In that case is his Minister of Foreign Affairs providing a running commentary on the gender of international athletes consistent with the standard of behaviour that he expects of his Ministers?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Point of order. Mr Speaker that claim and that question requires it to be authenticated. I have the post. It says nothing of the sort and I expect him to get up now and apologise.SPEAKER: Well the first point is supplementaries are seldom if ever able to be authenticated because they are part of an onflow of discussion. However if the Minister feels that he has been in some way impugned then he has a right to reply. Do you want to do that?Rt Hon Winston Peters: Mr Speaker by way of my point of order I have given you my reply. His question's based on drivel and a nonsense repeated by Louisa Wall who herself didn't bother to verify what she was writing about.SPEAKER: Does the Prime Minister want to add anything to that?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: No.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr Speaker. I asked the Prime Minister whether the statement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs was consistent with the behaviour expected of his Ministers. He hasn't even attempted to address or even reply to the question.SPEAKER: Yes I know but if the Minister has taken a point of order taking exception to the question and the assertion of the question he's got a right to reply to that under our Standing Orders. He has replied that it is not accurate and therefore the member's word has to be accepted.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr Speaker. That doesn't mean the Prime Minister shouldn't then have to address the question.SPEAKER: Well that's right. And I asked the question to the Prime Minister if he wished to. His comment was no.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr Speaker. Are you indicating that a Prime Minister simply can say he doesn't want to address the question? Because the only grounds on which a Minister can say they're not going to address a question is if they don't believe it's in the public interest to do so.SPEAKER: Well look I'm not going to speak for the Prime Minister. I can assume that when the Prime Minister said that he was imagining that since it had been denied there wasn't a great deal of public interest in continuing. But I will ask the Prime Minister if he would like to respond to the question.Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Look the Minister has denied it but what I'd say is that Minister is doing an exceptionally good job as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for New Zealand and we should be incredibly proud of him because he is lifting the intensity and the urgency of our relationships across the Indo-Pacific like no one's done before.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does his Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage's decision to remove te reo Māori from formal letters inviting an Australian Minister who is a champion of indigenous languages to New Zealand for Matariki celebrations reflect the standard of behaviour that he expects from his Ministers?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well I would just say to that member we value te reo in this Government. What I'd also say to that member is the correspondence was being directed to an Australian Minister overseas and what I'd say to you is in my dealings with Australians it always pays to be incredibly simple and clear and use English.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Good to see him leading by example. [Interruption]SPEAKER: Just wait just wait—the member's own party is just taking a little time to settle.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Does his Minister [Interruption]—SPEAKER: Just hang on—we'll just wait until the House is quiet. Now we're right.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Thank you. Does his Minister for Children's refusal to answer questions in the House last week in preference to wearing an ACT Party badge reflect the standard of behaviour he expects of his Ministers?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Again I fully support our Minister for Children and Oranga Tamariki—she's doing a fantastic job. What I'd say to the member is what a petty line of questions that we're seeing today. This is a country where our economy is in real trouble. This is a country where we cannot deliver health and education services as well as we need to. We have rising levels of crime. And this is the line of questioning from the Leader of the Opposition. [Interruption]SPEAKER: Right another outburst like that and someone will on a representative basis take an early day. [Interruption] Who laughed then?Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order. That's actually a serious question. It's the first time in the 16 years that I've been a member of Parliament that a Minister has refused to stand up whilst being in the House and answer a parliamentary question—that is the job of Ministers. I think the Prime Minister should be expected to address that question rather than do the very thing that he's been telling everyone else all week not to do and attack the question.Hon David Seymour: Speaking to the point of order as a matter of technical fact the Minister stood and sought a call to answer the question but was forbidden under the conditions. So the member maybe hasn't been here long enough to learn all the rules but the way he's characterising it is untrue.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Speaking to that point of order Mr Speaker I'm very familiar with the rules and if the member had removed her badge and prioritised her ministerial responsibilities over wearing her ACT Party promotions then she would have been able to answer that question. She chose to refuse to answer the question. That is a matter of ministerial conduct and it is absolutely appropriate that the Prime Minister be questioned on that and asked to explain it.SPEAKER: That's right. Unfortunately I don't think it's the responsibility of the Prime Minister—that circumstance was entirely my responsibility. Does the member have another question?Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr Speaker. To be clear I am not questioning the ruling that you made—you are absolutely within your rights as Speaker to do so. The Minister's choice to not comply with your ruling and instead refuse to answer questions is absolutely a matter of ministerial conduct for which the Prime Minister is answerable. Not you as Speaker—the Prime Minister is answerable for that.SPEAKER: Yeah and I'm not going to let the question go any further because this has been a matter that has been settled and I expect that the current compliance of the rules of the House will continue. Without losing a question—Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Point of order Mr Speaker. You'll note that the Opposition fully endorsed the position that you took last week.SPEAKER: Yep.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: However there are not two standards for Ministers in this House. Ministers come under significant pressure and the Minister was under significant pressure last week and we respected the ruling that you made as the Speaker. That does not ever excuse Ministers of the Crown from being held to the same standard as every other Minister of the Crown. Every Minister of the Crown reports to the Prime Minister; their conduct is a matter for the Prime Minister to answer for. The question that I asked is completely within order. It does not in any way question the ruling that you made as the Speaker; it questions why a Minister in his Government prioritised promoting her political party over discharging her duties as a Minister.SPEAKER: Ask the question one more time—Hon David Seymour: Supplementary.SPEAKER: No I've called him—sorry.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: Did his Minister for Children's refusal to answer questions in the House last week in preference to wearing an ACT Party badge reflect the standard of behaviour he expects of his Ministers?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: No the Speaker has addressed that question I think very well. There was challenges last week; he has reset the tone of this House; and we deal with that going forward.Hon David Seymour: Mr Prime Minister in the view of this Government what are the priorities of the New Zealand people—what do they need from the Government and the Parliament right now?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Well I thank the member for that question. What they want is a Government that's going to rebuild the economy restore law and order and deliver better health and education. Those are the big issues that New Zealanders are concerned about outside of this place.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: If that's the case why are his Ministers prioritising wearing party badges over answering questions making racial taunts against members of the other side of the House providing a commentary on the gender of international athletes and refusing to use—SPEAKER: Just a minute.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: —te reo Māori in their correspondence?SPEAKER: Just a moment. There was considerable talk coming from the Government side of the House while that question was being asked. The Rt Hon Chris Hipkins will ask it again.Rt Hon Chris Hipkins: If those are indeed the priorities of this Government why are his Ministers refusing to answer questions in the House prioritising wearing party badges instead making racial taunts to members on the opposite side of the House refusing to use te reo Māori in their correspondence promoting things like Matariki providing a commentary on the gender of international athletes and of course attacking the courts which is something we haven't got to yet?Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: What I observe is I see a hard-working Cabinet and a set of Ministers that are actually doing the business for New Zealand. I look at our economic Ministers who are actually reducing inflation lowering the cost of living and making sure we've got a growth plan going forward. I look at our law and order Ministers and I see them focused on lowering crime. I look at our education Minister who did more in six hours and six days than that member did as education Minister for six years. I look at what our health Minister is doing to make sure that we improve our health outcomes for Māori non-Māori and all New Zealanders. That's what I see."