Prebble Richard: Government Communications Security Bureau Bill — In Committee 
Prebble Richard: Government Communications Security Bureau Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4377] 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (Leader—ACT NZ) 
: 
 I rise specifically to refute the remarks we have just heard from Mr Rod Donald the co-leader of the Greens. 
Rod Donald 
: The Government should do that. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: No no. This is Parliament and I think it is perhaps more powerful when someone who is not a member of the Government is prepared to point out that the member is talking rubbish. In fact I thought I was going to be replying to Mr Locke who prior to the tea break made a very similar speech and spoke for 70 seconds in support of his amendment but has chosen not to speak after the tea break. But I do not want to be too critical of Mr Locke. It is clear to me that he is probably on his way to Baghdad to be a human shield and I am a bit surprised that Mr Donald who was also telling us he was going to be a human shield apparently has not got around to going. 
Richard Worth 
: He hasn’t made the bookings yet. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: Yes. Well I think it goes somewhere towards showing the strength of their convictions even though— 
Ian Ewen-Street 
: They can’t afford it. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: No no. There is no question of a lack of money. Mr Locke told me and he was somewhat bemused that many people whom one would not normally associate with the Greens had offered to help pay his fare—but not a return fare. 
However let me make this point. The Greens would have us say that the Government Communications Security Bureau should not ever in any way eavesdrop on diplomatic missions. One has to ask what planet they live on. Are they not aware that for example even Jordan normally known as a friend of Iraq has just expelled yesterday a number of Iraqi diplomats? How did it know to do that? It said they had been engaged in activities they should not have been engaged in. The idea that no diplomatic mission in New Zealand has ever engaged in spying—I thought Mr Donald would have done a little bit of homework! We know there have been cases of diplomats who have been expelled from New Zealand because they were engaged in subversion against this country. I saw that the Iraqi diplomat in Sydney wanted to come to this country. Would the Greens have said “Welcome to New Zealand and under our bill you can engage in any subversion you like and we will never never listen.”? That is nonsense. 
Mr Donald also does not realise that the convention he is referring to is the reason that consular and diplomatic missions are able to carry messages through couriers as they do. That does not mean we cannot listen in to their telephone conversations when they are engaged in spying. The fact that Mr Donald and Mr Locke are prepared to believe that no diplomat would ever do that says something about those members. Of course I do not think that Mr Locke and Mr Donald actually believe that. I say to them that they have a duty to this Parliament and to the country to put security interests ahead of the petty partisan policies they are quite prepared to put forward. I do not think Mr Donald for one minute believes there has never been any spying by any diplomat. He is very careful not to make a response to me now. 
Rod Donald 
: Of course there has been spying. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: Oh now he says there has been. But he wants us to have an amendment to say: “Come to New Zealand. We are complete mugs; you can spy on us.” I say to the Greens and to the Government which relies on the Greens that they are not fit to be in Government if they are not prepared to put our country’s security first and that is why we are in the unusual situation that National the ACT party and I think a few United Future members are promoting this measure of security. The Government is sitting back and letting us do it and the Greens are promoting a motion that I would say is not in the security interests of this country. I think it is high time they put their bodies where their principles are and that having gone around the country and earned huge cheers from various audiences by saying they were prepared to be human shields it is about time they were. Or have they not watched television? I tell Mr Donald that if he does not hurry up he will miss the opportunity.