Foss Craig: Urgent Debates — Hawke’s Bay District Health Board—Appointment of Commissioner 
Foss Craig: Urgent Debates — Hawke’s Bay District Health Board—Appointment of Commissioner 
[Volume:645;Page:14546] 
CRAIG FOSS (National—Tukituki) 
: 
 What happened today during question time? What did we learn today? The Minister told us—again—in response to questions from the Hon Tony Ryall that he has not received any reports or had any briefings regarding the two draft reports on which there is lots of discussion. Yet the same Minister keeps offering his views on those same draft reports. He keeps hinting at reasons why we should all be worried. He keeps hinting at reasons why the truth will come out. I say to the Minister that he should have a look at his  
Hansard 
 from question time today. In one answer he said he had not seen the draft reports or had any briefings then in answer to the next question he started to try to put fear into the questioner about what was in the reports. I say to the Minister that he cannot have it both ways as he keeps on trying to do. 
We will all agree on this: all of the information is not in the public domain. But the Minister said to trust him that he knows what he is doing that he is running this show and has more information than we have. That is what he said during question time on a previous day yet that same Minister with all the information is using the full force of his ministry and of Crown Law which is funded by taxpayers to silence the truth—or at least to repress information. The way around that is to release all the information. 
He succeeded in one thing: our freely elected district health board members no longer have a united voice and they no longer have united legal representation. So it is hats off to the mayors and representatives of Hawke’s Bay who are going in to bat for them. I say to the Minister that that it is called natural justice—he should look it up in the dictionary. 
The Minister released selected documents last week on his announcement of his sacking the board. Included in those documents was representation from district health board members that had been given in confidence as part of the review yet the Minister released that as a part of that package of information. That same Minister has said he has not seen any part of the review. By the way I say to the Minister that he also probably released documents that legal action now surrounds—apparently there are some defamatory comments in some of those. Let me give notice that the Minister has set the precedent of leaking information that was given to the inquiry under confidentiality agreements. There is no natural justice here. There is natural justice only once all the information comes out. The Minister is being the judge the jury and trying to be the executioner and it is on dubious grounds. He is right. It will be found out; the truth will come out. 
The inquiry has been going on for about 6 or 7 months. It took 6 or 7 months to bring the first draft to the officials. That took 6 months let us say yet apparently it has taken only 6 weeks to show that the second draft is apparently totally at odds with the first. We learnt that today in the House. What has happened in the middle in between? Who has made representation? Whom is the Minister trying to cover up for if anyone? Otherwise he should give out all the information and we will find out. He should treat the voters of Hawke’s Bay who re-elected this board as grown-ups by giving them the information. They will then make up their own minds. 
Yesterday the Prime Minister told Paul Holmes on Newstalk ZB that all the information should be released. She said that all information should be in the public domain and that we cannot have selective leaks. I agree for once with the Prime Minister. I can give the Minister the transcript of that conversation. I tell him to follow the instruction of the Prime Minister and release all the information into the public domain and let us all make an informed decision.