2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterCHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister2. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Prime Minister): Yes particularly the partnership with Fonterra to co-fund a range of projects to cut coal use at its dairy factories. This partnership will result in halving Fonterra's manufacturing emissions by 2030 equivalent to taking 120000 cars off the road and it will leverage up to $790 million worth of investment. This partnership sits within a backdrop of recent Stats New Zealand data showing New Zealand's emissions decreasing for a third successive year under this Government. I heard firsthand during my recent trade missions that New Zealand's climate credentials are crucial to our exports. This Government is committed to reaching our emissions reductions budgets both for the sake of the environment but also because it benefits our exporters.Christopher Luxon: Was Treasury right that inflation has pushed tens of thousands of Kiwis into higher tax brackets over the last six years and if so will he adjust tax brackets for inflation to let Kiwis keep more of what they earn?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Yes in answer to the first part of the question. I've been very clear that I don't think now is the right time for tax cuts in this—the magnitude of tax cuts proposed by the National Party would ultimately result in higher inflation for longer.Christopher Luxon: Isn't it a vote of no confidence in his tax policies that his Minister of Revenue was so disillusioned he resigned his portfolio instead of just serving until the election?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I imagine that the members opposite are feeling somewhat disillusioned by their party's tax policy given they don't seem to be able to come up with a coherent one. The member himself has promised billions of dollars' worth of tax cuts that his finance spokesperson doesn't seem to know how he's going to pay for.Christopher Luxon: Why did he say yesterday that David Parker was passing on the revenue portfolio to [free] him up to focus on [the] transport [role]" when David Parker said today that the real reason he quit was disagreement over tax policy making his position "untenable"?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I know full well from the conversations I've had with him that David Parker is enjoying the transport portfolio is going to get his teeth into that and I'm looking forward to working with him on it.Christopher Luxon: Was David Parker right to say that his position as revenue Minister was "untenable" due to his Government's disagreement over tax policy and if not why not?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: David Parker indicated that he wanted to move on from the revenue portfolio. I was doing a reshuffle and I indicated I was happy to accommodate that.Christopher Luxon: Why then despite the rules on collective Cabinet responsibility has a Minister who has publicly defied the Prime Minister on tax policy retained his position in his Cabinet?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I reject that that's what David Parker has done. From time to time Ministers put proposals before Cabinet that the Cabinet does not agree with and that do not proceed. Ministers do need to be able to explain that. I don't believe that David Parker has done anything other than that.Christopher Luxon: Is the real reason he keeps delaying his tax policy plan because he can't even convince his own Cabinet colleagues to get it over the line let alone the public?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: That might have more credibility if the National Party had come up with a tax plan that was credible and consistent. But given even in the last year they've had multiple variations of their tax plan and they're not actually even in the Government yet—and probably unlikely to be given they can't come up with a tax plan that balances out.David Seymour: What is the Prime Minister's best explanation for losing four Ministers overboard in just seven months?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Each and every one of those cases is different and there are extenuating circumstances. Particularly in the most recent case I would expect the member to show a little more sensitivity than that.David Seymour: How can Kiwis trust a Prime Minister who didn't know a Minister was leaking Cabinet information to donors didn't know a Minister was defecting to Te Paati Māori didn't know a Minister had a major shareholding conflict of interest and didn't know—or at least didn't do enough for a Minister who was facing serious challenges?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I believe that New Zealanders can trust me more than the party of privilege as defined by the party's founder Roger Douglas.David Seymour: Does he stand by his statement that he's asked the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to do a review in light of last week's shooting in Auckland and will that review consider whether the law makes it too easy for criminals some of whom have committed violent offences to get a sentence of home detention?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The member has mischaracterised the statement that I made. What I indicated was that I had asked for advice from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on what reviews would be done into an event such as this and whether any additional review would be appropriate in the circumstances. There are a number of reviews under way at the moment. There is of course the fact that there is a police investigation still active. There is a police critical incident investigation. The Chief Probation Officer is conducting a review into Corrections' management of the offender the potential for a coronial hearing. At this point I don't think an additional review is required but there may well be additional findings out of those other reviews that I just mentioned that the Government will need to give due consideration to.David Seymour: Doesn't the Prime Minister want to know how it's possible and whether it's acceptable that people on home detention carry out around 1500 offences they're charged for every year including 143 acts intending to cause injury last year?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I don't believe that that offending is appropriate. Of course those are issues of concern. The number of people on home detention under this Government has stayed relatively static to what it was under the last National Government. There has not been an increase in the use of home detention. Those numbers have been relatively static. We are concerned about that sort of offending. I'm very concerned that the offender managed to get hold of a firearm for example. It is one of the reasons why this Government is absolutely committed to implementing the firearms register.David Seymour: Can the Prime Minister explain to the House and the public why someone who broke the law by supplying a firearm to a person on home detention without a licence would have registered their firearm?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: One of the things that the firearms register will do is it will allow police more ability to keep track of where firearms are ending up. I believe that creating the firearms register is the right thing to do. I think the member and potentially the Opposition should clarify what their position is as to whether the firearms register will go ahead if there is a change of Government.David Seymour: What is the Prime Minister going to change in his leadership after his first seven months to persuade New Zealanders that a Government that hitherto cannot manage itself is really capable of fixing the problems of inflation lawlessness and division that rive New Zealand under his leadership?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I will be campaigning on the platform that this Government wants to support New Zealanders who worked hard to get ahead so they can create a better life for themselves and their families and I endorse the sentiments of Roger Douglas that the ACT Party is the party of privilege.Christopher Luxon: Aren't his Cabinet Ministers right to be disillusioned when he spent six months stringing them along on the wealth tax only to nix it at the last minute in a desperate attempt to keep his failing Government re-elected?Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I utterly reject that. We will be announcing our tax policy shortly and I can say to the member that we'll have no difficulty making our numbers add up. It's no wonder the member can't announce his policy because (a) he doesn't have a consistent one and (b) his finance spokesperson's got no idea how he's going to pay for it."