te Heuheu Georgina: Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Third Reading 
te Heuheu Georgina: Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:634;Page:5880] 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (National) 
: 
 I am very pleased to take a call on Part 2 of this legislation although in the end this is a total disgrace. This whole debacle has been a total disgrace led by Helen Clark and her Labour Party. This party has run fast and loose with taxpayers’ funds and it is now running fast and loose with the parliamentary process. The public out there know this. In fact other than that they probably expected that at some stage this Government would move to validate the unlawful spending and the overspending. The public made their judgment on this debacle long ago—weeks ago—and they have judged the Labour Government and the Labour Party guilty as charged. It has been fast and loose with the public’s money and now it is fast and loose with the democratic process. 
 Here we are in urgency. The bill was introduced yesterday and it will be passed today thanks to parties who really should not be supporting it but are. The fact of this bill’s passing will cement this in the mind of the public; they will not forget this. It may be 2 years until the election but there comes a time when a Government takes one step too far. This Government has done so with this debacle here. If there are lessons that Labour Government members should learn—and they probably will not; their record to date has shown that they do not learn from their stuff-ups—the first one is that they can run but they cannot hide. Or maybe it is that they can ride but they cannot hide. Helen Clark did her best to ride roughshod over the issue until she realised finally that the Government’s poll ratings were taking a dive. Government members can run or ride but they cannot hide; they need to learn this lesson. 
The other lesson they need to learn is that the public will not tolerate an arrogant Government. The public in a sense have been reasonably tolerant; I do not know why they have been willing to give this Government the benefit of the doubt notwithstanding the number of stuff-ups over the last 6 or 7 years. But on this one the public will not forgive the arrogance that has been shown by Helen Clark her party and her Government in the way they have dealt with this matter. 
I am absolutely grateful that we have an Auditor-General who has acted without fear while under huge pressure from the Government to do something different from what he did in the end. Sure in the end he found that unlawful appropriations occurred across all parties so in a sense we all have a lesson to learn from what has happened—I do not deny that. But no one no party has been as arrogant as Helen Clark and her Labour Party. That they think that their pledge card was lawful is so arrogant that I cannot describe it quite honestly. As I say the public have made their decision. They have made their judgment; they made it long before today. This bill just cements in their minds what an arrogant Government this is. 
I am grateful that the Chair gave me a small call. Before my time is up I want to refer to Murray McCully’s amendment to insert new clause 6A which states that there should be “No effect on political parties wishing to repay monies”. I hope the Committee will support that amendment. With this legislation and the validation of that spending there will be parties—and maybe the Labour Party might even still change its mind—that still might not repay the money.