Collins Judith: Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill — In Committee 
Collins Judith: Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:643;Page:13133] 
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 We have just heard from the Hon Judith Tizard who was the Minister with responsibility for Auckland Issues until the Prime Minister took that role away—much I must say to the relief of Auckland. That Minister said that National Party members had said they did not come into Parliament to waste their time in Opposition. But I say that that member came into Parliament so that she could waste her time in Government; nobody has yet worked out what it is that she does for her money. 
What is very interesting about clause 3 of the Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill is that it is all about legitimising the illegitimate. This Government is so desperate to stay in power that it is going to change the rules. The reason it is changing the rules is that that will stop ordinary New Zealanders from exercising their right to say what they think about their politics. We are here as representatives of every New Zealander—every single New Zealander has the right to have a view about politics. And this Government and its toadies in New Zealand First the Greens and United Future are absolutely dedicated to doing anything to stop ordinary New Zealanders saying that they have had enough of this Government and that they want to get rid of it. 
Certainly the Government wants to stop anybody who is not a member of Parliament from electioneering in the sort of way that this Government has done time and time again. All these sorts of brochures I am holding up and that my colleagues have held up are fine at this time of the year. But they are not OK in an election period which is what this Government is trying to change. It is trying to extend the electioneering period so that people will be able to use Government funding to put out electioneering brochures right up to the day of the election. That is absolutely the wrong thing to do. New Zealanders say constantly now that they do not want to have their democracy taken apart because of the desire of the members of this Government never to have to get out into the real workforce. The fact is that most of them are unemployable anywhere else and the only one who can get a job—Steve Maharey—is already off. That says that this Government will do anything to stay in power because most of its members are unemployable anywhere else. There are simply not enough unions to take them back. So this bill is one of the things that we will fight against. 
One of the things that I thought was most interesting today was to hear from the Hon David Cunliffe. He is also known as “Captain Cunliffe” now because he is in charge of everything and he is running the show. That is what he has told us. He told us today that this is all about the fact that the Labour Government is going to deliver. Well the people of New Zealand are going to deliver something to Labour and its toady mates. They are going to deliver them the message that they want to be able to exercise their rights to be involved in politics. We are here as representatives of the people; the people are not actually here for us—[ 
Interruption 
]—I say to Ms Soper. It is quite the opposite. We are here for them. Just because Ms Soper is not confident about getting back again into Parliament that is no reason at all why the people of New Zealand should have their democracy under attack as rightly shown in the  
New Zealand Herald.  
The fact is that all this Government wants to do is to attack the media. All it is doing now is saying that the media is just a Tory institution. Well there are not many National MPs here who feel that the  
New Zealand Herald  
has ever been a Tory institution in their lifetime. It is quite the opposite. 
One of the most appalling things— 
Lesley Soper 
: Disgusting! 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: What Ms Soper says is absolutely right. She says it is disgusting and she is right. She is absolutely right. It is disgusting that this Government is trying to push this bill through in this form and it is being supported by the very people we all see out on the hustings talking about transparency and the Kiwi way. This is when we have public funding paying for someone purporting to be the Prime Minister of New Zealand. It is not “Labour. Forward”; it is “Labour. Backward.” That is the only way Ms Soper and her friends are going to go. 
Lesley Soper 
: They’re better off with Labour and you know it. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: And she is absolutely right—people are better off with National. I thank Ms Soper; I thank her so much.