Franks Stephen: Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Franks Stephen: Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:615;Page:11253] 
STEPHEN FRANKS (ACT) 
: 
 I do not have any particular problem with clause 2A but I believe that this is a debate and I am prompted by a sense of respect for this House to rise and comment on the last speech. It appears that New Zealand First members those giants of international diplomacy have the view that we have no contact with Latvia Estonia and those other countries. We have diplomats accredited to Riga and those other capitals and they visit them regularly. They live in The Hague or in other capital cities and we have a lot of contact already. 
There seems to be a New Zealand First view that until we have passed this bill no one from the European Union dares set foot here which is a bit puzzling. It was a question I was asking the Minister in the chair the Hon Marian Hobbs but she has not chosen to rise and assist New Zealand First in its understanding of this matter so perhaps the Government deserves its fate if New Zealand First chooses to lengthen this debate. 
I will also comment on Dail Jones’ repeated assertions that when parties question the wording of a bill during the Committee stage it is evidence that there are too many MPs. Mr Jones might reflect on the fact that in other bills passed not too long ago New Zealand First voted for the insertion of clauses referring to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. New Zealand First also voted against amendments seeking the removal of those references. 
In this bill I understand that the National Party has moved what I see as a very sensible amendment and I would be willing to guarantee that New Zealand First members have not even bothered to ask what that amendment is. They will vote without having the faintest idea of what it proposes. They will vote because they have a view that the proper duty of members of this Chamber is to rubber-stamp what the Government asks them to rubber-stamp. They have a view that when their leader is miffed at National because it has dared to question his probity in a select committee for the next few weeks they will spend all their time voting for the Government and not reading the legislation. 
Instead of reading the English-Italian phrase book on his desk because he has a deep interest in speaking Italian Dail Jones who keeps repeating that we are simply wasting time might choose to read some New Zealand law. He might decide to have a little glance at the bill and work out whether the Hon Lockwood Smith Dr Wayne Mapp myself and others who have spoken are doing exactly what MPs should do in the Committee stage of a bill. Dr Mapp is conferring with the Minister’s officials—I believe the Minister must have given consent. He is looking for reassurance that there is not something in this bill that no one has noticed until now—a matter that could be readily fixed by an amendment at this stage which would save the time of the Chamber. 
When a member like Mr Dail Jones rises to deride the attention being paid to the detail of a bill and says that there are too many members of Parliament when those members take time to scrutinise a clause or move amendments then people are entitled to know that Mr Jones is perusing his English-Italian phrase book and no doubt planning his next holiday on the Riviera— 
Dail Jones 
: In Rome. 
STEPHEN FRANKS 
: In Rome he tells me. If there are too many members in this Chamber I suggest that we could easily make a few savings by dispensing with those who find that the English-Italian phrase book is the right thing to read when they are being asked to vote on a bill that confers privileges and immunities on people like those who would give evidence for Mr Milosevic; or in this case privileges and immunities on a mission from the European Union that apparently is too scared to come here until it is assured it will not be prosecuted. What have the members of that mission got to hide? What is it that they are worried they will be arrested for? 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Are they the new Soviets? 
STEPHEN FRANKS 
: The new Soviets yes! What taxes do they want to avoid? Are they too scared to bring their grog allowance through customs before they get this pushed through? The Minister is not explaining why it is so desperately urgent but presumably there is something that members of this mission lurking in Canberra really want to know that they will not be afflicted with when they come into New Zealand. We have not been told what it is but Dail Jones apparently knows that it does not matter.