Cullen Michael: General Debate 
Cullen Michael: General Debate 
[Volume:645;Page:14621] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Deputy Prime Minister) 
: 
 That was “slippery John” a man with a whole series of one-liners not one of which reached a policy conclusion—not one. The public wants to know that if the phone rings and the Prime Minister has to make a decision the Prime Minister has a set of principles—any set of principles at all—on which he or she bases that decision. What has been reinforced in the last couple of days is that John Key has no principles. He has no basis on which to make the right decision—if he can make a decision at all. He has become the Mitt Romney of New Zealand politics without the consistency. The smiling front runner will fade by election day and be gone and never seen again. 
John Key in his heart of hearts does not care who owns our strategic assets. His party sold the Government’s shares in Auckland airport and he wants to sell the rest into foreign ownership. Yesterday John Key was asked eight times what his position was. He responded with “ums” and “ahs” and that he “will look” into it. Finally what is his position this morning? His position is to sell it. His party he said would repeal the Executive Council order which was put in place on Monday. John Key wants to sell our strategic assets into foreign ownership. 
He says the operating balance is what could be spent on tax cuts. I ask Mr Key what will happen if the operating surplus disappears between now and election day. What will happen? Will he say there should be tax increases if that is the position? We will wait and see I say to Mr Key. He said he wanted lower wages then when he was caught out he wanted the reporter to be sacked because people should not say things that are the truth. Mr Key said climate change is no big deal and he does not care about it but now he says he is in favour of dealing with it. Then he said that the National Party never had a deadline for settling Treaty claims. He said that this morning on Television One. He should keep off the TV these days. He does not even know that National’s election policy last time was to settle claims within 5 years. Now he says the National Party never had a deadline never had a policy on it. He says it never had a policy on strategic asset sales and it does not have a policy on tax cuts—only a policy around operating surpluses. 
This man at heart is a trader—a speculator as Linda Clark said this morning. The man wants to do a deal and the deal is to sell New Zealand into foreign ownership. He is a man who is not concerned about what the ordinary Kiwi believes. Does Mr Key really believe that that is what ordinary New Zealanders want—to sell our assets? Yes he does. He says that all New Zealanders want to sell our assets into foreign ownership. Well let us give him a policy. We put a policy in place on Monday. Stricter tests will now be available and Ministers will have to consider the issue of local control. We will see the outcome of that when those Ministers make that decision. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Are you against the deal? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: That member asks me a question he knows he cannot ask me because I am not the Minister who makes that decision. Opposition members do not understand the rule of law which is why that member Nick Smith was convicted of contempt of court. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the member but the practice of members engaging in a constant barrage of interjections amounts to heckling. It is entirely intolerable in a debating chamber. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: It is absolutely clear that Mr Key is a slippery character who has no fixed or firm views. He opposed KiwiSaver. What is his position on it now? He opposed climate change policy. What is his position on it now? He opposed Working for Families. What is his position on it now? He opposed 4 weeks’ annual leave. What is his position on it now? He opposed increases in the minimum wage. What is his position on it now? Has he got a single firm principle or a single position on policy that he is prepared to stick with—other than that he wants to be Prime Minister? He thinks he was born to be Prime Minister for some peculiar reason.