Parker David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Parker David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 21 February 2013. Volume:687;Page:8098. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
3. 
Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Economic Development 
: Was a document summarising the process involving SkyCity and the proposed convention centre as referred to at paragraphs 3.17 and 3.18 of the report from the Deputy Auditor General sent by MED or the Ministry of Tourism via email to DPMC on 12 November 2009 and did that email record Treasury advice that advice should be sought from the Office of the Auditor General to determine the probity of that process? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development) 
: 
 As the Deputy Auditor-General records in her report an email dated 12 November 2009 was sent from one official at the Ministry of Economic Development to another one at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The email included reference to a suggestion that should the Government choose to progress a public-private partnership to build a convention centre then seeking advice from the Office of the Auditor-General in that regard was recommended. As the process the Government entered into was quite different from a public-private partnership I am advised there was no need for Office of the Auditor-General advice regarding a public-private partnership. 
Hon David Parker 
: Will the Minister forthwith release the document emailed to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on 12 November that recorded that Treasury advice to get advice from the Auditor-General as to probity? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I am not aware at this time whether it has already been released or not. I will certainly look into that for the member. 
Hon David Parker 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was not my question. My question is: will he release it forthwith? It is a different question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: And I do not want to get into the issue of relitigating the question and the answer. The easiest way is for the Minister to repeat his answer I think. Would the Minister please—does the Minister want the question again? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: As I said to the member I am not aware of the status of that document whether it has been previously released or not. I will check for the member and see what I can do in that regard. 
Hon David Parker 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That again does not answer my question. My question was not whether it has been released or whatever is the status of the document. My question is: will he release it? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: And the Minister has satisfactorily addressed the question. Does the member have further supplementary questions? 
Hon David Parker 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I still do not know whether the Minister is going to release it or not so how can he have properly addressed that question? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: He said he would look into it. Does the member have further supplementary questions? 
Hon David Parker 
: Had any of the staff at the Ministry of Economic Development or the Ministry of Tourism expressed concerns about the probity of the process or had discussions with Treasury about the probity of the process before that part of the document was sent on 12 November; if not why was that document prepared? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: On behalf of myself because I am the Minister although I was not the Minister at the time the reality is that that memo was sent. Whether there were any discussions between officials prior to that I have no idea at this time. 
Hon David Parker 
: Given that the Minister has today conceded that the Deputy Auditor-General was right that the document was sent by the Ministry of Economic Development and the Deputy Auditor-General’s finding in section 3.31 of the report that in its private briefing—that is the private briefing from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to the Prime Minister by way of a briefing note on 3 December—it referred to Treasury’s comments does he believe that the 12 November email that was sent by his ministry was received by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I said in my answer to the primary question that an email was sent from one official at the Ministry of Economic Development to another official at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on 12 November 2009. I also said that it was in reference to a public-private partnership should one be used to build a convention centre and it recommended that if that was the case it be discussed with the Office of the Auditor-General. Of course it became absolutely moot because a public-private partnership was not proceeded with. 
Hon David Parker 
: If the Minister is saying that the email was sent by the Ministry of Economic Development and was received by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet why did the Prime Minister deny yesterday that it was received by the department? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I am not aware exactly what the Prime Minister said yesterday. What he did say I understand was that he had not seen it. This is my recollection of it but the member could direct a question to the Prime Minister in that regard. However again I would point out that even the Auditor-General says that this matter became moot because it did not have a proposal at this time. If the matter were to proceed to a public-private partnership that would be a concern but it did not have a public-private partnership so the whole thing is just a wild goose chase.