Goff Phil: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGoff Phil: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 02 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19163. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PHIL GOFF (Labour—Mt Roskill):Eight months ago the Cabinet external relations and defence committee produced this minute that I have got in my hands. It had been kept secret and confidential until such time as the Government was forced to reveal it under the Official Information Act. Why was it kept secret? Because it reveals this point: “New Zealand now has the smallest number of personnel deployed to international peacekeeping operations in almost 20 years.” The number of New Zealand men and women who are superb peacekeepers whom we have deployed today is 77—just 77.When I was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister of Defence it numbered up to 800 and was generally in the 300 to 500 range. This minute in its last point urges the Government to take an active approach to considering contributions to international peace support operations. Why? Firstly it is the right thing to do for New Zealand as a good international citizen. But also New Zealand is putting itself up to be a candidate for the United Nations Security Council and what do we say about our good international citizenship—that the best we can mount to help international peacekeeping operations is 77?I wondered about this. because I know that the Government from this minute wanted to have more people out in the field. So why did it not? Well the answer was given in the estimates questionnaire where I asked the question about deploying overseas. And do you know what the Minister of Defence tells me? He says there is a risk that you could not deploy New Zealand service personnel overseas in a peacekeeping operation for more than 12 months. For 9 years we had 400 to 500 people deployed on these sorts of peace missions Minister and you have run down the Defence Force to the point that we cannot have our very good peacekeepers deployed for more than 1 year. That is a disgrace.One reason—and this comes out of the Auditor-General’s comments on the Minister’s handling of his portfolio—is that between 2009 and 2013 the number of Regular Force personnel has been slashed by 1200. That is a 15 percent reduction in our Defence Force personnel. But it is worse than that. It is worse than that because when that Minister did what the Auditor-General accused him of doing—breaking the social contract with the Defence Force personnel—we reached 24 percent attrition in the Defence Force. It was 24 percent in vital trades and in vital ranks and it takes years 7 to 8 years to replace people with the skills of those who walked away from the Defence Force.That is why our Defence Force cannot mount a decent peacekeeping operation—because that Minister by destroying the morale of the Defence Force in 2011-12 and by cutting the Defence Force budget for personnel has reduced it to the point that it cannot deploy for more than 1 year.But it is not simply that. There has been botch-up after botch-up. When the Minister of Defence gets to his feet I want him to comment on why the army court martialled a brave Special Air Service soldier who had served in Bosnia and served three times in Afghanistan for stealing army equipment when they could not find any equipment missing. They could not find any equipment missing and that has just been overturned—Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. That matter is still before the courts and it is best not to refer to it.Hon PHIL GOFF: No it is not.Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: It is.Hon PHIL GOFF: Speaking to the point of order.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): I will hear the Hon Phil Goff.Hon PHIL GOFF: I was passed the Military Court of Appeal decision from the court by a party to the court because the suppression order has been lifted. It is in the public arena however much the Minister might try to suppress it.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): I will need to seek some guidance on this. I do not have the answer and I will ask for some guidance from the Clerk. [Interruption] No I need to seek some guidance on this matter. I am informed that three of the four charges were dropped but there is still one that has not been so on that basis I would ask the member to move on on the Defence Force and we will leave that matter as it is.Hon PHIL GOFF: Speaking to the point of order the fourth charge was not appealed by the soldier concerned though the military court of appeal said that the army should consider withdrawing it. But this matter is not live before the court. It is not under a suppression order.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): OK. Well look just give me one moment while I just make sure that I have got my advice correct. All right I have some advice and the advice is that we can continue in the same vein.Hon PHIL GOFF: Well I would like the Minister to explain to the Committee why the army court martialled a solider for the theft of equipment that was not missing. The Minister will know that that soldier spent $15000 of his own money on buying equipment. It may well be that he passed back his own equipment and sold equipment that was the army equipment but there was no intent of theft and the military court of appeal damned the judgment that had been made in the first instance.Do we have so many brave and experienced SAS soldiers that we can court martial them effectively humiliate them and drum them out of the military only to find that the military court in the first instance got it wrong? That was a botch-up.The second botch-up: why is it that people working full-time for the air force at Whenuapai can set up a private company and tender for the equipment that they are working full-time on? And why is it that that matter is before the Auditor-General? That is another scandal waiting. The third thing is Babcock. Why did Babcock in its key performance indicators hit the lowest level five out of five which is designated unacceptable for 6 months? Why is it that the Defence Force is doing so badly that it is having these problems?