O'Connor Damien: General Debate 
O'Connor Damien: General Debate 
[Volume:641;Page:11138] 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 I have a simple question for this House and I am sure— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not want to challenge you—you will have an order of speakers in front of you—but it is most unusual that there are two Government speakers one after the other. It could be that that is the only way they can have any effect these days but could you advise us of the appropriateness of that. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: You have raised a procedural matter but I think the Opposition might enjoy being able to rebut two Government members instead of just one. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. I have one simple question for this House today. Is the problem with National one of credibility or is it one of confusion? Is it too much of one and not enough of the other? Well I think that is the answer. There is too much confusion and not enough credibility. We have heard for the last week how John Key has been totally and utterly confused about his position on Iraq. Did he support New Zealand participating in the war in Iraq and what indeed does he support now? We are totally and utterly confused—just as he is confused—but we will give him the benefit of the doubt. 
But it is not just Mr Key who is confused. On 1 May 2004 Mr Power said at the National Party conference as National’s spokesperson on defence: “The National Party has always been international in its outlook. Without reservation we will support our close allies Australia the United States and Britain whenever and wherever our commitment is called upon.” Does Simon Power now support New Zealand being in Iraq? That is the question I ask of him. What is his response? Nothing. He is absolutely silent. Simon Power is also confused. Does he support New Zealand being in Iraq or does he not? 
But it is not just those two front-bench members. Last week in the House we had the Hon Dr Nick Smith confused as well. He got up in a debate and said: “What I really find interesting is the number of questions the then Labour Opposition asked me during my period of 18 months as Minister of Corrections. Do members know how many questions it asked me? Zero.” That is what he said in this House and he misled this House. I found his statement unbelievable so I went back and checked  
Hansard 
 and found that we had asked three questions of that member. Three is not zero. So the question is: was Nick Smith also confused just as Simon Power has been confused and just as John Key has been confused or is it an issue of credibility? 
I put it to members that the issue is one of credibility because nothing that the front bench of the National Party says can be trusted—nothing. National members cannot be trusted in what they say about Iraq or about housing. We cannot trust any policy statements from Mr Key or any one of his front-bench members second-tier members—including Anne Tolley—or backbench members. None of them can be trusted because not only do they not have policy not only are they unsure what they stand for but they do not know what they said and they do not know what to say. That it is total confusion I believe is the nicest thing we can say. 
In the end it is an issue of credibility. Labour will be quite happy to go to the people of New Zealand next year and stand on the issue of credibility because what we say is what we do. If the National Party and John Key as its leader continue to go around New Zealand and make statements do a U-turn on those statements and then be unclear about what was said what will the country think of the National Party? Well I think we will find out at the next election. 
I will take a brief moment to mention Simon Power the National spokesperson on corrections. He is the man who stated that he does not ever want to be the Minister of Corrections. We will be happy to know that he will not be either because National members will not get into those ministerial roles. The only thing that Simon Power has really said that I believe is that National will privatise corrections and the prison system in this country. I believe that—I really do—because National has tried it before. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: We will do a better job than you do now. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: Oh the member says that National did a better job. National claimed that the Auckland Central Remand Prison was cheaper to run when it was privatised. That was rubbish. Like most things National said that was rubbish. In fact that prison is a clear example of the public system delivering prison management in this country that is not only fairer and more ethical but also cheaper. I will ask Mr Power before he makes any other statements to look at the experience of Victoria over the Tasman where private prisons have been brought back into the public system.