Peters Winston: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 01 March 2016. Volume:711;Page:9209. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements; if so why?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes in the context they were given because I do.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Does he stand by his answer yesterday on the rail line north of Whangarei—and apologies for the grammar but I quote him: “I think it’s the opposite. I don’t think there’s any plans to close it.”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes I do stand by that statement. In fact I have the exact transcript of that and it was words to the effect of something about closing the line and as we know the line is not being closed.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How does he reconcile that answer with the written statement of KiwiRail’s Steve Muir Manager Bulk and Forestry just 2 weeks ago: “We will also not be running trains north of Kauri from 1 September.”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: In the interests of the last question the exact question from the media was: “Are you aware of any plans to close the rail line north of Whangarei?”. As I have just stated to the House the rail line north of Whangarei is not closing. There have been issues in relation to the commercial contractor on that line and the contract has not been renewed because the contractor is not prepared to pay commercial rates. If somebody else wants to pay commercial rates or that party wants to come back and pay more commercial rates then they can operate. But the line is not closing.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Prime Minister why he is engaging in bulldust on this matter when everyone up there knows that if there are no trains on the line then the railway line service is over; why is he engaging in such obfuscation and bandying words around that mean nothing—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question has been asked.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: If I wanted to look at an expert in bulldust all I would do is look across the House. The member has a PhD in it.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. If the Prime Minister wants to engage in that sort of behaviour which I think is unparliamentary I just want to remind him that the last time he tried it he got dusted-up up north.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I think the supplementary question was the question that led off to where the answer then got to.Rt Hon Winston Peters: To the Prime Minister—[Interruption] That is “sir” to you. Why did he allow the Minister of Transport on 20 October last year to give assurances that there are no railway closures planned for Northland when separate correspondence from KiwiRail on the Portland line means that those assurances were categorically deliberately false?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Because the Minister of Transport was correct.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How could the Minister of Transport be telling the truth when the correspondence from KiwiRail shows that the Portland line is to be closed in favour of a metal road and that is in the documentation?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The advice I have had from the Minister of Transport is that he refutes that assertion.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I seek leave to table the correspondence from KiwiRail as to the Portland line shunting-line closure covering 3 miles and second the railway line north of Kauri—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I simply need now how many letters the member is seeking to table—KiwiRail letters—and the dates of those letters before I put the leave.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Fortunately two on two different matters.Mr SPEAKER: And they are dated last year I take it?Rt Hon Winston Peters: I beg your pardon?Mr SPEAKER: What dates are the letters?Rt Hon Winston Peters: They are 27 October and February of last year and February of this year.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table those two KiwiRail letters. Is there any objection to them being tabled? There is none. They can be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.Sue Moroney: Point of order—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! A point of order has been called.Sue Moroney: I seek leave to table a transcript of the 2014-15 annual review of KiwiRail where the chief executive officer says: “At this stage there is no rail—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I need no more assistance. If that is a transcript from a select committee it is available to all members if they so want it.Sue Moroney: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Are you speaking to the point of order?Sue Moroney: Yes. I believe the transcript is not yet publicly available.Mr SPEAKER: If it has been before a select committee it is available via the e-committee process. It is therefore available to all members if they want it.