Carter John: Local Government Law Reform Bill — In Committee 
Carter John: Local Government Law Reform Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:632;Page:3834] 
JOHN CARTER (National—Northland) 
: 
 I rise to take a call on the title. I want to make the point that tonight in this Parliament for the first time in 7 or 8 years we have actually had a victory for common sense. Sadly it is a partial victory but it is a victory nevertheless. I am proud and excited that the National team—David Carter Eric Roy Mark Blumsky and a whole number of different people— 
Darren Hughes 
: You can’t remember her name. 
JOHN CARTER 
: Whose name? 
Darren Hughes 
: That woman behind you. He’s thinking. 
JOHN CARTER 
: That is not a woman—the member needs to go and clean his glasses and get his hair coloured. 
The fact is that the National team with the support of other parties in this House can proudly stand up tonight and say we have had a victory for common sense. What is just as good is that it is a huge political disaster for the Labour Government and particularly for Jim Anderton. He stood up there and said he was going to back the farmers. He said he was their man. He said he would speak up for them. And then he came down here and voted with the Government and got riled because there was common sense amongst enough of the parties in this Parliament to defeat the Government tonight. I have to say that it shows a huge loss of faith in the Labour Government. 
I also make the point having been a former whip—as was Mark Burton the Minister in the chair—that the whips in the Labour Government at the moment Tim Barnett and Darren Hughes should be feeling absolutely ashamed of themselves. They had absolutely no idea of what was going on when the vote was being taken. They did not know. Their job as whips should come under close scrutiny because they should have been advising the Prime Minister that this bill which amended and changed dog microchipping laws was at risk. They did not say anything because they did not know anything. They got caught—I was going to say “with their pants down” but that is probably not appropriate. Nevertheless they got caught out. The fact is that as whips they failed their Government their Prime Minister and their team. They let their side down and they should be damn well ashamed of themselves. They should be taken to the cleaners and whipped until such stage as they are out of their job quite honestly. It is an absolute disgrace. [ 
Interruption 
] I do not know about their being microchipped; we want to lose them not keep them. 
The fact is that this has been a great victory for National tonight. This team over here has worked so well to make sure it happened. We worked closely with the other parties to make sure it happened and we listened to the voters out there and to the people who were interested. At the end of the day we have come up with and given them what they wanted. 
Unfortunately as hard as we tried we only managed to get working dogs exempted from having to be microchipped. The fact is that urban dogs will still have to be microchipped—the little chihuahuas— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: We’ll find jobs for those urban dogs; they’ll all end up working dogs. 
JOHN CARTER 
: Well they could all end up being working dogs although I am not sure what sorts of thing a chihuahua can round up but I am sure there is something— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Look at Winston. Look at what he can do. 
JOHN CARTER 
: Well can Winston Peters round anything up? 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Yes! 
JOHN CARTER 
: Well there we go. The point is that lots of urban voters will be really dissatisfied now that their rural counterparts do not have to microchip their dogs. But urban dog owners will have to front up and cough up the money it will cost in consequence of having to have their dogs microchipped. 
The point is that the Government has lost out politically and I have to say again that it is a great victory for common sense tonight. I am proud to be part of the National Party and to be one of the people on this side of the Chamber who actually decided to vote on common-sense lines. 
 We need to address two or three other things in this bill including the long-term council community plans. Those plans are costing local government and ratepayers far too much money. The way in which they are being administered and delivered as a consequence of this Labour Government is just unacceptable. The Minister should be ashamed of himself for imposing those sorts of costs on local government.