Brash Don: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brash Don: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:633;Page:4764] 
1. Dr DON BRASH (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she stand by the statement in the Speech from the Throne in 1999 that her Government would “restore public confidence in the political integrity of Parliament and the electoral process”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes by keeping our promises as we have—unlike National in the 1990s. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Can she explain to the House how she expects the public to have confidence in the integrity of Parliament and the electoral process when her Government has conveniently ignored and dismissed the rulings of the Auditor-General the Solicitor-General the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission by unlawfully spending taxpayers’ money and knowingly breaching the election campaign spending cap in the Electoral Act? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The assertions in that question cannot be accepted. Of course unlike the National Party the Labour Party did not accept money from exclusive religious cults which enabled National to free up its own parliamentary spending. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Is it the case that the Auditor-General wrote to her on 28 April last year seeking a meeting to discuss his concerns about processes for the expenditure of taxpayers’ money through the parliamentary leader’s budget and can she tell the House how it assisted public confidence in the integrity of Parliament and the electoral process when she refused to meet him? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I seem to recall questions from the member on precisely this point before. I was written to as leader of the parliamentary Labour Party and representatives of the party met the Auditor-General. 
Dr Don Brash 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Prime Minister has not remotely attempted to respond to either of my last two supplementary questions. She made an irrelevant comment which was totally without foundation about the Exclusive Brethren. There is no foundation for it at all. Could you ask her please to address the two questions I have asked. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Prime Minister certainly addressed the questions. It may not have been to the satisfaction of the member. Also may I say it would be a little easier for the Speaker to hear the full answers if there were a little less barracking. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Is it the case that she declined the request from the Auditor-General to meet with her to discuss the use of public money on political advertising because she already had plans at that stage to use nearly half a million dollars of taxpayers’ funding for the Labour Party pledge card; and can she tell the House how those actions helped to encourage public confidence in Parliament and the political integrity of the electoral process? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I repeat that representatives of the parliamentary Labour Party met with the Auditor-General. Of course unlike the National Party we were not holding money back so that after the election we could put out ads like the one from Bob Clarkson which invites people to a public meeting around the theme “Good Jokers Unite!” at the RAZZA in Upper Hutt. If that is not an abuse I do not know what is. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Yes I think I am about to agree with your point of order. 
Rodney Hide 
: It sounded like such an exciting meeting that I just wanted to hear what it was about. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Thank you. I agree with you. Would the Prime Minister please repeat her answer for the benefit of those who were unable to hear a word she said. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I repeat that representatives of the parliamentary party met with the Auditor-General as invited. I further note that unlike the National Party so loaded with cash from big corporates and the Exclusive Brethren the Labour Party did not receive money from them. The National Party held money back so it could use it for ridiculous branding advertising websites fake questionnaires and of course advertising this extraordinary meeting with Bob Clarkson—“Good Jokers Unite!”. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I believe that members in this House all have the right to hear the responses that are made to questions. We—myself and the colleague beside me from United Future—are sitting fairly close to the Prime Minister. We were unable to hear the answer to that question and we would like to have the answer repeated. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Perhaps the Prime Minister would like to summarise her answer. 
Bob Clarkson 
: Madam Chair I would like to hear— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am sorry. It is “Madam Speaker”. 
Bob Clarkson 
: I am sorry Madam Speaker. It is a small point. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the member please be seated. We are trying to be consistent with the Standing Orders so would the member please just make his point of order without any other comment. 
Bob Clarkson 
: If I am getting accusations chucked at me I would like to hear them. I am not hearing them. I am getting a bit pissed off. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Maybe the member would like to have a word with some of his colleagues and then we would all have the benefit of hearing the answers. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: You invited me to summarise my answer and for the benefit of Bob Clarkson can I summarise his advertisement with the parliamentary crest on it that calls on people “Good jokers unite”. I do not know whether women were invited. It states: “Enjoy an after work yarn with MP Bob ‘the Builder’ Clarkson”—all asked for at parliamentary expense. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Is the Prime Minister aware that members of her Government have used their majority on the Justice and Electoral Committee to block an invitation to the former Chief Electoral Officer Mr David Henry to appear and explain the steps he took to warn the Labour Party about the consequences of spending half a million dollars of taxpayers’ money on the Labour Party pledge card; can she explain how that will contribute to public confidence in Parliament and the integrity of the political process? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Clearly the National Party is still smarting about not having a majority in the select committee. I want to point out the Labour Party does not have a majority in the select committee either. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Would the Prime Minister like to elaborate a little on her answer. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I am very happy to elaborate and point out that just as the National Party does not have a majority on that committee and is clearly very sore about that neither does the Labour Party.