Hutchison Paul: General Debate 
Hutchison Paul: General Debate 
[Volume:648;Page:17130] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Port Waikato) 
: 
 I am afraid to report that the Prime Minister has done it again. First of course there was “paintergate” where she did not sign the painting. Then of course there was “speedgate” where she sped across the Canterbury Plains at 180 kilometres per hour 80 kilometres above the legal limit and denied that she knew. Then of course there was “pledge card - gate” where the Labour Party overspent almost $1 million and refused to pay it back but now there is “disability car-park - gate”. 
It is ironic that the Labour Government introduced a bill only yesterday to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities—ironic indeed when one reads the news from last Monday: “PM’s blocking of disabled carpark ‘unacceptable’ says pensioner.” That of course refers to an 81-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease who comes from Christchurch and who was forced to struggle down a wet Christchurch street last Friday night while Prime Minister Clark was sitting inside enjoying the soothing sounds of the symphony. Well what really did happen as Helen Clark’s motorcade parked over that disability car-park bay? Even if Prime Minister Clark feigned that she was shocked the real questions are: is she really shocked and what is she doing about it? Has she apologised to the 81-year-old? Have we heard anything about that? Well not as far as I know. I had a phone-around today and there were no apologies so far. 
No one in this House of course will ever forget 2004 when four policemen and one civilian were actually charged for conveying the Prime Minister across the Canterbury Plains at that extraordinary speed of 180 kilometres per hour. She of course not only denied the situation but was prepared to dub them in—fairly and squarely dub them in. And the Prime Minister to this day has denied that she was actually speeding 80 kilometres per hour more than the legal limit. But there is another irony to the fact that the Prime Minister’s motorcade blocked the disability car-parks last Saturday night which is that on the very day before her Government had introduced a $150 fine for using a disabled parking space without a valid permit. So bingo within 24 hours of her Government having increased the fine what should be found on a disabled car-park bay? None other than the Prime Minister’s motorcade! To make matters worse I think it is important to stress the discomfort of the 81-year-old Parkinsonian who with his wife had to struggle down the wet street helped by ushers from the Christchurch Town Hall. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why are you smiling? 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: I tell Mr Peters that it is a very serious matter. Indeed the only reason for smiling would be the great concern I have that the Prime Minister has failed to follow up the situation in the light that her Government this week introduced a bill that will ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and last week increased the disabled parking fine to $150. 
Once again has Helen Clark apologised to the 81-year-old man? Has she checked to see that he is all right? Has she bothered to follow it up and has she indeed made sure that the $150 fine will be paid? None of this we know—absolutely none of it. What Colin Waite of the New Zealand Parking Association has had to say is interesting. He said that it is infuriating for disabled people to see people abusing these special parking spaces and the tougher fines should significantly reduce the problem for them. But apparently the Prime Minister is relatively oblivious to what happened. What does the disability sector have to say? It has become cynical about New Zealand Prime Ministers.