1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterCHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Can I just join with the Prime Minister and say welcome Prime Minister Albanese it's good to see you here and it's a very special relationship that we have with Australia and it's great that you're here in New Zealand. Welcome. Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Prime Minister): Yes particularly my decision to prioritise the ongoing strengthening of the trans-Tasman relationship with Australia. In that regard can I also join with the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition in welcoming our good friend the Prime Minister of Australia to the Chamber today. I believe that the trans-Tasman relationship is the strongest that it has been in decades. In 2023 New Zealand and Australia celebrate the trifecta of significant anniversaries: the 40th anniversary of our world-leading CER agreement the 50th anniversary of the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of our high commissions in each of our respective capitals. This year Australia announced a direct pathway to Australian citizenship for longstanding New Zealand citizens resident in Australia a decision that I believe will bring our nations closer together and I want to thank in this House Prime Minister Albanese and his Government for making that possible. And of course we have the FIFA Women's World Cup which we are jointly co-hosting—another example of how we can work together on the world stage.Christopher Luxon: Who was correct: David Parker who told media he quit as revenue Minister because his disagreement with the Prime Minister on tax policy made his positon untenable"; or the Prime Minister who claimed he wanted to focus on transport?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I'm pleased to see the member's focused on the big issues affecting the country. Both statements of course can be correct. I'm absolutely confident that David Parker is going to do an outstanding job as Minister of Transport.Christopher Luxon: Does he agree with David Parker that his position as revenue Minister was untenable and if not why not? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: As I indicated yesterday David Parker indicated that he was keen to move on from the revenue portfolio. I was doing a reshuffle anyway so I was happy to accommodate that. I think he will do an outstanding job as Minister of Transport and of course I note that he is doing an outstanding job of repealing and replacing the Resource Management Act something the last National Government spent nine years talking about and failed to do anything about. Christopher Luxon: When did David Parker first inform him that he no longer wanted to be revenue Minister in his Government? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: We had a conversation about it yesterday morning. Christopher Luxon: Why then is David Parker still associate finance Minister with responsibility for assisting on tax policy when his position as revenue Minister is untenable because he doesn't agree with the Prime Minister on tax policy?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Sorry to clarify: my last answer is Monday morning not yesterday morning—you do lose track of time in this place. I believe that David Parker's position has been clear; he's made his position clear. He's very focused on his current portfolios and his current ministerial workload. I think he's going to do a great job of it.Christopher Luxon: Does he think David Parker was being a team player by quitting his job three months before an election? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Certainly more of a team player than the people who leaked his details about his Tesla.Christopher Luxon: Was the Prime Minister—[Interruption] Let me carry on—SPEAKER: Order! Members know the rules—Order!—when questions are being asked. Christopher Luxon: Was the Prime Minister being a team player stringing his colleagues along for six months with the promise of a wealth tax before nixing it from Lithuania?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I completely reject the assertion in the member's question but what I will say is that when I make a commitment on tax I'll stick to it—unlike the National Party who promised New Zealanders they wouldn't increase GST and then did exactly that meaning every time New Zealanders went to the supermarket every time they filled up the car they paid more because of National's broken promise.Christopher Luxon: How many times has he had to reshuffle his Cabinet since becoming Prime Minister?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Probably about the same number of times he's had to reshuffle his line-up because of complications on his side of the House."