Hide Rodney: Public Transport Management Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hide Rodney: Public Transport Management Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 02 September 2008. Volume:649;Page:18250. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 It is always a pleasure to speak in this House and to speak in particular on behalf of the people of Auckland and especially those of Epsom. I would like to thank Jeanette Fitzsimons of the Green Party for putting up option C. I can tell the House that having considered this issue and having talked to the people of Epsom and the people of Auckland the ACT party certainly will support option C. We in Auckland are sick of a commercial operator dominating the market and blocking out competition and choice—things that ACT favours. 
I hear Dail Jones giggling away in the background. I would not mind if Dail Jones would argue this matter on the basis of policy. I find it very disturbing to have reports from the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee that Peter Brown said New Zealand First had to support option B because it had received money from Infratil. If that is the case— 
Dail Jones 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I know exactly what the member is— 
Dail Jones 
: He’s a liar—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Mr Hide will stand withdraw and apologise. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I now ask Mr Jones to stand withdraw and apologise. 
Dail Jones 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: That is one all. Let us proceed with the game. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: Well that was a reason that Peter Brown gave as to why New Zealand First had to support option B. I am sorry but that was what the members of the committee heard—unless they have been misleading me. Maybe others there will confirm it for me. I see Mr Bennett nodding his head to indicate that what I said was an accurate rendition of what happened at the committee. I notice also that Dail Jones was not at the committee which is a bit tough. David Bennett was at the committee and he has confirmed what I said. 
Dail Jones 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. He is persisting with his disregard of your ruling. You have ruled that this matter cannot be raised any further and I would ask you to take the appropriate action. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I ask the member to desist and to be careful with his debate because that kind of remark can lead to disorder and that has its own ramifications. Would the member just speak to the bill. 
Dail Jones 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Speaker’s ruling is 52/1 or something like that. A member cannot repeat in this House a defamatory statement that was made anywhere and cannot regard it as a reliable statement to use in the House. If something is defamatory anywhere it cannot be used in this House just because someone has said it somewhere else. That is Speaker’s ruling 52/1. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: That is the one referring to quotes. The member is quite right. That is why I have asked the member to desist and to get on to the actual bill because he cannot get round Speaker’s rulings or the Standing Orders by the use of quotes. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was not quoting from a document. I want to check with Dail Jones that nothing I am saying is potentially sub judice. Am I OK? Just about every time I get up here to speak the matter becomes sub judice and the Speaker shuts me down. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you Mr Hide. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I also want to know from Dail Jones whether there is anything sub judice about the Tiberius Corporation. Would that be sub judice? 
Dail Jones 
: We know that Mr Hide breaches the sub judice rule all the time because he is a political coward. He does not have the guts to say it outside the House. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Mr Jones this is getting to the stage of being out of control. To imply that someone is a coward is to challenge his or her courage and that is a personal reflection. The member has been here a long time and I ask him to be careful with what he is saying. I ask him now to withdraw and apologise for the use of that word. 
Dail Jones 
: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I can I believe describe the actions of a person in a vigorous way but not the person himself. I am describing Mr Hide’s actions when I use that particular phrase not Mr Hide which is why I put the word “political” in front of it. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you Mr Jones. I ask Mr Hide to desist and come to the bill. I remind members that under Speakers’ ruling 51/1 unparliamentary remarks from a member do not justify an unparliamentary reply. That ruling was from Speaker Guinness. I ask Mr Hide to be careful and speak to just the bill. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: I will be very very careful and I will speak to the bill. I forgive Dail Jones because he is under a lot of pressure and why would he not be? I have never asked for him to withdraw and apologise and I have never tried to shut down Dail Jones’ speeches because I think he is fully entitled to speak. I forgive him for his slights of me and the ACT party because I understand the pressure he is under. 
I come back to the matter at hand and it is this. This is why I support option C from Jeanette Fitzsimons. We put a subsidy of about $90 million a year when I last looked into Auckland bus services. What I find disturbing about how the subsidy operates now is that if one commercial operator has that subsidy another commercial operator cannot run along that route—it is effectively blocked. It is a huge advantage to receive the subsidy. It blocks competition and choice. When I talk to the people of Epsom lovely as they are wonderful as they are they ask what is wrong with having another bus run down the road what is wrong with having a bit of competition and choice and what is wrong with allowing the Auckland Regional Transport Authority to contract on a competitive basis. People in Epsom understand choice and they understand competition just like the Green Party members do. 
Hon Member 
: Because they are wonderful. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: Yes because they are wonderful—the people of Epsom; I have to be careful about praising the Green Party! They have fine memories by the way of Keith Locke. He will be telling everyone there to give the party vote to the Green Party—which I respect; we can work with those members on some issues—and he will also be saying: “Give your vote to Rodney and I promise I won’t run naked down Newmarket in my birthday suit ever again.” Of all the people whom I would want to run naked down Newmarket I would have to say that Keith Locke would be higher up the list than a lot of others I could think of. 
Sue Moroney 
: They banished your yellow jacket in Newmarket didn’t they? 
RODNEY HIDE 
: They love my yellow jacket in Newmarket. The people have spoken. I tell members the one thing people in Epsom do not like: red jackets. They hate red in Epsom and in Newmarket. They like every other colour. They like blue they like Jackie Blue they love Jackie Blue but they do not love the Labour Party. 
David Bennett 
: They don’t? 
RODNEY HIDE 
: No one does. ACT supports option C and I am a little bit disappointed in my colleagues in the National Party. 
Hon Members 
: Oh! 
RODNEY HIDE 
: Yes I know I know. I am not being churlish I hope and I hope I am not being overly critical and I hope I am not causing any upset that could derail National’s campaign or unhinge future Cabinet posts. I am a bit critical of the National Party because I thought it favoured competition and choice. No? Oh it looks like it might be up for grabs. I ask David Bennett to say “Yes”; now would be a good time to say “Yes”. No the National party members have learnt not to answer even simple questions. David Bennett is in favour of competition and choice and that is what option C is all about—competition and choice. That is why the ACT party favours it. We are against any attempt to monopolise a service and we know that with option C Auckland will get a better-quality service it will get better value and it will get better pricing and if members add all that up they will see that it cannot be too bad. Here is another reason for voting for it: if New Zealand First wants option B members have to look twice at supporting it!