Brown Peter: Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill — In Committee 
Brown Peter: Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:643;Page:13135] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 Thank you Mr Chairperson— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: We don’t want no foreigners here! 
PETER BROWN 
: I thank the member for the welcome! The other day I was called corrupt by the National Party but today the chief whip for the National Party said that I am a man of integrity. How does one get common sense out of that? 
The Hon Nick Smith asked an interesting question. I have taken my time and I want to address it. I have sat and listened to the National members and Kate Wilkinson touched on it— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I apologise to the member but I think that a call for immigrants to go home which came from my left is something this Parliament should not tolerate. I ask that that remark be withdrawn and apologised for. 
Anne Tolley 
: I did hear my colleague say “Go home” but there was no mention of immigrants. I think that slur has been deliberately put in by the Minister. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: To make it absolutely clear the remark followed a false English accent from Mr Williamson. It was part of the same exchange. It was disgraceful. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I am afraid that I did not hear it. 
PETER BROWN 
: Speaking to the point of order Mr Chairperson I just want to tell the honourable members over there that if they were referring to me I have a certificate of citizenship signed by a former National Minister. I am a New Zealander by choice. They are New Zealanders by accident. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. It is a further point of order. I think that Mr Bennett should actually tell the Committee that it was he who said it. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: That is up to the member. 
PETER BROWN 
: I want to make a serious point here because I think the Hon Nick Smith endeavoured to make a serious point. He was talking about two definitions of electioneering the one in this document and the one that will come back to the House in the Electoral Finance Bill. I do not know what that definition will be when it comes back but it will be quite different from this one. I say to members that those two definitions work in tandem. They are compatible. This definition applies specifically to MPs and what we can do or perhaps more appropriately what we cannot do. If we seek membership if we seek money or if we seek votes we are electioneering and we are in breach of this legislation. That applies to MPs. But for MPs who are also candidates the new definition that is to come back in the Electoral Finance Bill will also apply to them equally as it applies to a candidate who is currently working anywhere. In other words if as individuals we stand in the next election as candidates and we are MPs the two definitions will apply to us. They are not to be regarded as being in conflict. They are compatible. They work in tandem. It is as simple as that. I am on public record as saying that we need this bill— 
Anne Tolley 
: Why do we need it? 
PETER BROWN 
: Because the Auditor-General in his wisdom ruled documents such as this one here out of order. 
Anne Tolley 
: That’s right. It broke the rules. 
PETER BROWN 
: It did not. The Auditor-General deemed that it broke the rules. But if I put this through the rules we have now and the Speaker’s directions it would be OK. I invite the National chief whip to put it through— 
Anne Tolley 
: It broke the rules. 
PETER BROWN 
: It was OK in 2002; a similar type of thing was OK in 1999; and it was OK in 2005 by the rules we had then. But the Auditor-General said that it broke the rules. The rules in the Speaker’s directions that several MPs including two from the National Party have sat for hours and hours to consider and have agreed upon are very much reflected in this bill. New Zealand First will not take a chance on the Auditor-General’s judgment. Under this bill we are protected. The Auditor-General got it wrong in 2005 and he could get it wrong again now. We need this legislation to protect us from the Auditor-General’s wisdom. 
Bob Clarkson 
: I got it right. 
PETER BROWN 
: I am not going there. 
I listened to Tony Ryall whilst the honourable Minister Ruth Dyson was speaking. He was interjecting quite vocally and saying that these rules should not apply during an election period. That is the whole purpose of the bill. Its whole purpose is to say what MPs can or cannot do during an election period. That is the whole point of it. I unashamedly tell members that New Zealand First members will go out and say what we expect to achieve politically—what we stand for. By doing that we came up with this document. It is the confidence and supply agreement we have with these folk over here. What did we achieve? 
Judith Collins 
: Baubles! 
PETER BROWN 
: We achieved 1000 more police. Is that a bauble? We achieved free health-care for under 6-year-olds. We achieved the golden age card for senior citizens. Are they baubles? [ 
Interruption 
] They love it.