King Annette: Electoral Finance Bill — In Committee 
King Annette: Electoral Finance Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:644;Page:13654] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 Seldom has so much cant been heard from a political party than that which has dribbled out of both sides of National’s mouth in the debate on this bill. We have heard nothing but mock outrage from speaker after speaker. Those members do not believe what they say but they are saying it for political purposes and that is the cynicism of this National Party. Its members have constantly misquoted the Human Rights Commission. 
When the bill was introduced to the House and was referred to the Justice and Electoral Committee the Human Rights Commission made some very important points about the bill as introduced. The commission worked closely with the select committee. It gave advice it worked alongside the committee and it ensured along with the committee that changes were made to the original bill. The bill as reported back to this Parliament and the amendments made in my name which have improved on even what the committee did have led to the Human Rights Commission saying that it is largely happy with this bill and I will stake my reputation on that comment. 
The National Party is constantly saying that the Human Rights Commission is still very concerned. That is not true. It is time that was put on the record because one would think that those National members live in a time warp and that absolutely nothing has ever changed. You see they really believe that there is not a place for a select committee and that there is not a place for a debate like this in this Parliament. That is what they truly believe. We believe that this is the place to debate the issues. This is the place to put amendments on the Table— 
Christopher Finlayson 
: Yes and we were shut down prematurely! 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I am sorry that Chris Finlayson is interjecting because I was going to say that at least he has attempted to put forward amendments that could improve this bill unlike his leader and unlike his deputy leader who I believe have done nothing but stand up in this Chamber and address it in a verbally abusive manner—a manner that I have not seen for many many years. I believe Bill English’s contribution to this debate on Thursday—when he stood up and abused me in a way that has led to people phoning my office to say that that was absolutely disgusting—is the mark of the man. This is a debate of ideas this is a place where we can have robust debate and I believe in robust debate. When a person has to get down to personally denigrating people when a person has to call them every name found in one’s small brain then I believe that that person is not prepared to debate the issues and that he or she wants only to make a political point. 
Mr Carter said that the ordinary people do not understand. I can tell this Committee that the ordinary people understand only too well. They understand that at the last election National Party members tried to buy an election. They were doing it secretly they were doing it in an underhand manner and it was only because the Green Party caught them out that what they were doing was exposed. It would not have been known if that detective work had not been done by the Green Party. We may have had a different result. They were not prepared to own up. In fact Mr Brash could not remember meeting the Exclusive Brethren. John Key still does not remember receiving the email about the money that was being spent. Is it not amazing that he cannot remember it but he can remember not receiving it? That must be amazing—being able to remember not receiving an email. 
I say to the members opposite that this bill sets out to make it fair for all New Zealanders; that we cannot buy an election in a democracy; and that there is nothing wrong with being honest and transparent about what money we have and where that money comes from. I think Winston Peters raised a very good question indeed. He said “Name one business”—and I would say one person—“one organisation that will not be able to participate in next year’s election process.” National members could not name one because people and organisations are able to participate they just have to be transparent about it.