King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 12 February 2015. Volume:703;Page:1537. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour)to the Minister of Finance: In light of his comments that a taxpayer bailout is his “least preferred” option how much is he prepared to spend to save the SkyCity deal?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance)on behalf of theMinister of Finance: I would like to simply point the member to the answer given by my colleague the Minister for Economic Development yesterday to an exceedingly similar question: “I have been clear all the way through that our least preferred option is to provide any funding to Skycity for the convention centre. We are in the process of discussions and I am not prepared to conduct those discussions in the public domain as that would undermine our position.”Hon Annette King: In light of that answer when he said in the House on 12 November 2013 that for a “little if any investment by taxpayers” New Zealanders would get an international-standard convention centre how big did he envisage the “little” investment was going to be and did that also include an international standard that was not an eyesore?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Yes to the latter part of the question. In terms of the first part I refer the member to the primary answer to the primary question. But the clear position of the Government the Minister for Economic Development the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister is that actually our least preferred option is to provide any funding to Skycity. However there have of course been other positions this week. In fact when asked whether the Government should contribute funds to the convention centre one response was: “You could probably say you know for the overall benefit yes.” and speaking of “little” that was one Andrew Little on Newstalk ZB.Tracey Martin: Can he assure the New Zealand public that any decisions around potentially giving millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to Skycity will not have been affected by the tens of thousands of dollars Skycity has donated to the National Party such as the $60000 donation recorded in 2005?Mr SPEAKER: In so far as there may be some ministerial responsibility the Hon Steven Joyce.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am not sure of the ministerial responsibility but I think the answer would be yes anyway.Hon Annette King: In light of his comments yesterday when did he advise all other Ministers that a taxpayer bailout of Skycity would require a cut to their budgets to stump up for cash for a business that made a $66.6 million profit in the last 6 months?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I think the member is actually mischaracterising the Minister’s comments yesterday but nevertheless it is clear that it is the Government’s preference that our least preferred option is to provide any funding to Skycity. No proposal has been received from the Minister for Economic Development to the Minister of Finance at least that I am aware of—and I think I may have been aware of it if it had occurred—and in the meantime we will just see how it goes.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Point of order the Hon Annette King.Hon Annette King: Do not sound so weary Mr Speaker. This is a really good point of order. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am looking forward to it with—[Interruption] Order! [Interruption]Hon Annette King: Well a second point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: No well—[Interruption] Order! We will deal with the first point of order first which I am looking forward to with anticipation and excitement.Hon Annette King: Yes Mr Speaker. I have taken your advice in terms of very tight questions. My question asked when the Minister of Finance advised all Ministers that there would need to be a taxpayer bailout if they were required to provide money to Skycity and the Minister did not answer that.Mr SPEAKER: He did. He disputed that he had had those discussions with the Ministers as I understood the answer. In my opinion he definitely addressed that question.Hon Annette King: Will he guarantee today that he will not support further gambling concessions to Skycity to save the deal?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The Government has confirmed that there will not be further concessions in any further law changes.Hon Annette King: How many hip operations could be undertaken and how many State houses could be built for the $128 million dollars that Skycity is demanding from the taxpayers and would it not be of more benefit to New Zealanders to invest it in them rather than in a multinational company that is making huge profits?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member presumes way too much in her statement and it is highly hypothetical. But if she is concerned about that I would talk to her own leader who actually was on the radio this week saying funds should be contributed to Skycity. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! The interjection level coming from both sides is now unacceptable.Hon Annette King: If the Prime Minister will not listen to him—the Minister of Finance—will he listen to the 22000 New Zealanders who in just the past 1 day have signed Labour’s petition opposing a taxpayer bailout of the Skycity deal?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I need to point out to the member that the Government’s position is entirely consistent. The Prime Minister has made it clear that it is his least preferred option to provide any funding to Skycity. The Minister of Finance has made it clear that our least preferred option is to provide any funding to Skycity. The Minister for Economic Development has been saying since December last year that our least preferred option is to provide any funding to Skycity. I appreciate that on close examination those three statements may sound very different but I have done some analysis in my office by placing them side by side and they are in fact the same.Hon Annette King: Is he prepared to match the contribution to the Skycity bailout raised yesterday from the public who showed what they thought of the Government’s idea by donating $41.20 two bottles of water and a lime Fruit Burst lolly?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I would point out that as we have been clear about all the way through negotiations are continuing. Our least preferred option is to provide any funding to Skycity. It is fair to say that the member’s leader is well ahead of her in that he signalled the other day that he would be prepared to give more than the amount of money that the member’s question has just raised.Hon Annette King: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not think that the member heard my question or understood it and I am very happy to—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No. I am sure he did hear it. It was whether the Minister gave a guarantee that he would match the public contribution. He clearly said he was not prepared to give that guarantee because it is still in the stage of negotiation.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I seek leave to table a transcript of Andrew Little with Larry Williams on Newstalk ZB—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Transcripts are freely available to members if they want to get them.