Maharey Steve: General Debate 
Maharey Steve: General Debate 
[Volume:633;Page:4784] 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) 
: 
 It is good to be back in the House. I always like to be back here just across the way from Mr Nick Smith. It is always good to see him back into the therapy here which seems to be what he relies upon—to come and sit here and barrack across the House. Every time we get back here we see the National Party members all lined up there and it reminds us again why it is so important to have a Labour Government with the support of people like Judy Turner and so on to make sure that the country is led by people who are reasonable and decent and not like the National Party members. 
Have members noticed that during the adjournment breaks we never hear a single thing from National Party members? It is as if they actually need the House because they are so lazy and hopeless that without the House with the press gallery conveniently looking at them as they sit here to report their words they can do absolutely nothing. We never hear a single word from them. Without the House Maurice Williamson would be a completely unknown figure. National members have to be able to be here. 
Meanwhile we on this side of the House have had a tremendous adjournment break. We have been out promoting all sorts of things like how to reduce the prison population. We have been visiting our electorates. All the regional newspapers are full of Labour MPs. Meanwhile there is nothing from the National Party except about the election spending issue which boils down of course to the use of the crest. For the benefit of those who are listening today I say that the crest means that one has used Parliamentary Service’s money. The National Party claims to be clean on this issue and its members want to pretend that everybody else but not them is somehow rorting the system. 
I just got in about 3 seconds flat some examples of National Party material. This is from its website. This material is from the National Party’s “Waste Watch—keeping an eye on your money” website which basically tells me I ought to vote for the National Party. Oh! There is the crest on it! It must be paid for by Parliamentary Service. And here is material from the www.axecarbontax.co.nz website. Again it is from the National Party and is basically asking us to vote for it—and there is the crest on the material! It must be paid for by Parliamentary Service. 
Here is a brochure that is not from the website. This is a brochure about what the National Party stands for and it is actually asking us to vote for the National Party. What do I find? Oh! There is the crest on it! It must have been paid for by Parliamentary Service. 
 Here is Don Brash in shirtsleeves looking like a dangerous rocker-type person. The National Party is advertising that Don Brash is holding a Wellington meeting—and there is the crest! A political meeting is being advertised and votes are wanted by the National Party. Here is a large notice about the Foreshore and Seabed Bill. It states the National Party’s position and asks people to vote for National on that—and there is the crest again! What is this one here? This ad states that National backs PlunketLine. The National Party could not have cared less about PlunketLine in 1990 but it does now. 
Here is a big ad in the newspaper—oh there is the crest again! The ad was paid for with Parliamentary Service money. Here is an ad asking whether we are sick of the nanny State and asking good jokers out there to unite. There is an indigenous person on it. “Bob the Builder” is wasting his time. “Bob the Builder” is telling us to come to a meeting with him paid for by Parliamentary Service. All of these things are paid for by Parliamentary Service. 
We might like to say something too about the Exclusive Brethren. The Exclusive Brethren are an ongoing embarrassment. [ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: The member is not allowed to accuse another member of that. The member will stand withdraw and apologise. 
Bob Clarkson 
: I really hesitate but I will apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: I will warn the member once that when a member is asked to withdraw and apologise that is all he or she says. The member will now stand withdraw and apologise. 
Bob Clarkson 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The big embarrassment for the National Party is of course the Exclusive Brethren. Here is what the National Party has said. In an interview with Paul Holmes for example Dr Brash said he had no knowledge of the pamphlets. The following day he walked away from reporters. The following day he told reporters he had known about the pamphlets but had not read endorsed funded or distributed them. He admitted he had met with the group three times in 18 months but he also told us he had no idea when and how he met them. We are also told by people that he went as far as to make sure that those appointments were taken out of his diary so that no one could discover them. 
We come therefore to the last advert that is worth talking about today. It shows the new Don Brash—no more “Mr Mild Man”. Don says he is back and is taking no crap—he says it politely; he often says it politely—because he is now a man of guts. By the way this is not a national ad in the sense of being nationwide. It is being trialled only in Taupo. I do not know why—the people of Taupo obviously believe deeply in the man of principle. So National is running the ads up there to see whether people will fall for it. Well if the man of guts the man of principle is truly this why does he not come here today and tell us the truth about the Exclusive Brethren? Did he know about the pamphlets? Did he know about the money? Did he meet with these people? If the appointments with them have been taken out of his diary did he do so? He needs to clear that up today in order to be the man of guts and the man of principle.