te Heuheu Georgina: Communications Legislation Bill — In Committee 
te Heuheu Georgina: Communications Legislation Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:634;Page:5592] 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (National) 
: 
 I am very pleased to follow my colleague Pansy Wong to make a contribution in the Committee stage of the Communications Legislation Bill. As we indicated right at the start we support the amendments being proposed here but I do echo my colleague’s call to the Minister. We have a different Minister in the chair tonight the Hon David Parker but we have become used to that over the last 5 years—there has been one Minister after another with no Minister actually delivering what he or she said would be delivered. It is only fair as my colleague has said that this Minister takes a call to explain to the New Zealand public why it is that 5 years on the time line the Government sought back in 2001 which National agreed to is now insufficient. 
Part 1 as we know amends the Telecommunications Act. The amendments will prevent the early expiry of the regulation of 10 particular telecommunications services. That is a reasonable thing to do but it is not reasonable that 5 years on in an environment where it is absolutely essential to have stability and certainty we are now back in this Chamber to agree to an extension to 7 years with no explanation. The Minister needs to stand up tonight and reassure this Committee the market place the consumers out there and those who rely on a stable regulatory framework that within 2 years this Government will be capable of not only setting the pathway forward—and making that clear—but also implementing it. 
This Minister has shown in the House particularly during question time that he loves getting to his feet so let us see him get to his feet tonight. He likes to give an indication that he knows everything so let us see whether he does know everything and let us see whether he can give an assurance tonight that the extension we are now agreeing to—from 5 years to 7 years—will be sufficient and that within that extension the Government will get the job done that it indicated it would do in 2001. It is not good enough at all. I ask members to think about the Government’s record in this whole area. We still have the unbundling bill before the Finance and Expenditure Committee and gosh the way the Government has dealt with that issue has been a chaotic mess. It has changed its mind and sacked messengers all over the place. That is the history of this Government—it is not a good way to conduct business. 
This Government—and particularly the Prime Minister—is great at making reference to the transformation of the economy. The delays and the tardiness of the Government in the communications sector certainly gives no confidence that this economy will be transformed any time soon. We know that but we have put a little bit of faith in the Government tonight by supporting these amendments and we have put a little bit of faith in the Government to get things moving and lay the building blocks for transforming the economy. But so far I have not seen any building blocks laid at all—not one. There has been a lot of talk since 2001 but no secure building blocks have been put in place to transform the economy. 
Time is running out for this Government. Of course that is good for the Opposition—we are very happy with that. Labour has had its turn; it will be gone in 2 years’ time and rightly so. It has not been able to give us any certainty and stability in this critical area of infrastructure. It is interesting that the Government has asked for 2 more years to extend the period of regulation. It must know that it is going out in 2 years. National has no confidence whatsoever that the Government having set a time line of 5 years will now complete the review in 2 years.