Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:628;Page:609] 
6. 
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: Has his office received the transcript of the police interview he had on 21 September where he said “the sort of activity that I’m being accused of of forcing a tennis ball into someone’s mouth would be as unacceptable then as it is now and I was not I have never committed such an offence.” and does he stand by his statement in the House yesterday that “I am one of the 19 people who either do not recall the alleged events or do not believe they happened.”? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 Yes. 
Rodney Hide 
: What event has caused the Minister not to remember what he categorically denied to the police less than 3 months ago and can he remember providing a signed statement to the police denying that he stuffed a tennis ball into the mouth of one of the students? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: My statement to the police is a matter of public record. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The fact that the Minister’s statement is on the public record in no way addresses my question. He could stand up—as he will probably now do—and say that in answer to every question. He actually has to address the question. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Yes he addressed the question by stating that the statement in the police report was a matter of public record. That addressed the question. 
Rodney Hide 
: No it does not. With the greatest of respect— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am sorry it does address the question. Would the member please be seated. I know that the answer may not satisfy the member but it did address the question. 
Judith Collins 
: When the Minister said yesterday to the House: “I am one of the 19 people who either do not recall the alleged events or do not believe they happened.” in which camp does he fall—is he one who cannot recall it or is he one who thinks it did not happen? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: Both. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why can the Minister— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have warned members that when a member is asking a question it is heard in silence. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why can the Minister not remember every detail of every school day 23 years ago and show a memory superior to that of the leader of the National Party who could not remember a month-old conversation with senators or a 4-day-old conversation with the Exclusive Brethren? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No that question is not in order. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. With respect I am asking the Minister why he cannot remember every detail of every school day 23 years ago because that is the core of this issue—whether there is any memory of the event about which the National Party complains. Now according to the National Party he should be able to remember those and I am asking him whether there is any obvious reason why he cannot. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: If the question relates to the statement of yesterday then it is in order but the Minister is not responsible for anything that happened in the past. He is responsible for his ministerial responsibilities. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The key issue is that he says he cannot recall and that does not relate just to yesterday; it relates to 23 years ago. I want to know why he cannot remember every detail of every school day on which he was professionally occupied 23 years ago because the National Party thinks that that is a fair question to be asked of this Minister—when its leader cannot remember conversations held 4 days ago. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I am sorry but that question does not relate to the Minister's ministerial responsibilities in the way it is phrased so I ask for the next supplementary question. 
Judith Collins 
: Can the Minister just explain to the House what he meant by saying that he was both a person who did not recall the alleged events and a person who did not believe they happened—how can he be both? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I would have thought that that was self-evident. I do not have any recall of the alleged events nor do I believe they happened. 
Rodney Hide 
: Now that the Minister has changed his mind and can no longer remember whether he jammed a tennis ball into the mouth of one of his students—and according to Mr Peters that must have been a fairly regular sort of occurrence— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. With respect that cannot be in order particularly in regard to myself. There is only one member in this House who could have a tennis ball put into his mouth—and that is Rodney Hide. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Both those references to tennis balls were out of order. 
Rodney Hide 
: Now that the Minister has changed his mind and can no longer remember categorically whether he jammed a tennis ball into the mouth of one of his students has he contacted the police to change his statement in which he categorically denied sticking a tennis ball in a student’s mouth; and if he has not contacted the police to change his statement why has he not? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I have had no further direct contact with the police.