Connell Brian: Crown Minerals Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Connell Brian: Crown Minerals Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:610;Page:7884] 
BRIAN CONNELL (NZ National—Rakaia) 
: 
 I suppose we should be grateful that the Associate Minister of Energy did get to his feet and take a call—two calls. 
Brent Catchpole 
: That’s two calls more than anyone else has done. 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: It is a pity that he did not do it when we were dealing with Part 1 when we wanted him to. It might have saved a lot of time. It might have saved him from bursting a blood vessel because the truth got very close to Harry and it hurt. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member cannot use a person’s Christian name. He might like to look at Speaker’s ruling 6/1 (Supplement). 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: The truth got a bit close to Harry Duynhoven then he had the effrontery to tell my colleague Lockwood Smith that he had had a memory lapse—selective memory! He is the guy who when he applied for Dutch citizenship forgot that he was an MP. Do members believe that? 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: That has nothing to do with the bill. 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: He has just had another memory lapse. If one breaks the law one’s mates will fix it up anyway so that is OK. That is what is happening with this bill. This Government does not have the confidence of the mining industry or any other business community because it breaks the law at a whim and it does not care. Well I tell Harry Duynhoven that we do care. I do not accept the proposition that there is one rule for you Harry Duynhoven MP and other rules for other people. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Do not bring me into the debate. 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: Clauses 22 and 23 in Part 2 go right to the heart of the matter where you put yourself above the law. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member must not bring the Chair into the debate. 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: The Minister puts himself above the law. The fact is that Glenharrow Holdings went to court and won. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: It lost the appeal. 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: Oh no no. At the time that you made your announcements it had won. But it was not good enough for you. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member is bringing me into the debate again. 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: It was not good enough for the Minister. He came out with statements and drove the debate through the media because he knew he could not do it in the House with any conviction. Why is the Minister’s Government the one he is proud to be part of so anti-business? What is wrong with sustainable management? I tell the Minister that this tree-hugging nonsense has to stop. It is costing this country huge amounts of money. The member who spoke before me gave a figure of something like $86 billion; that is what we could get if we managed our resources in a sustainable way. These things are manageable. Please do not give me the old consultation “Trust us; you can talk to us.” minor amendment type of rhetoric because we know that you do not consult. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member is again bringing the Chair into the debate. He shouldlook at Standing Order 104. 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: I apologise and thank the Chair for his direction. We know that this Government does not consult. If we ask people in the forestry industry whether they were consulted about the nationalisation of their carbon credits the answer we get is no. The Minister and his Government say they were consulted; the forestry industry says it was not. The forestry members say that they lost $1.5 billion. Were the farmers consulted over the flatulence tax? Oh no they were consulted on how they were going to pay the tax but not whether they should pay it. So we have no confidence at all. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: What’s this got to do with mining? 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: It goes right to the heart of your contradiction of the court. You knew better and you put yourself above it. Sustainable management of resources is something that is not at odds with those people who have conservation values. Why can we not do these things collectively? Irrigation in Canterbury is one good example. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: Irrigation! 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: Irrigation is one good example—the use of water. I know it is a foreign concept— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member is again bringing the Chair into the debate. 
John Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. You are quite right in drawing the member’s attention to the fact that he is breaking Standing Orders and Speaker’s rulings. But if you are going to apply the Standing Orders and Speaker’s rulings then maybe we should have some consistency in as much as you know as well as I do that the Minister in the chair is not to interject at all because the microphone in front of him is live. It is quite incorrect and discourteous for him to do so. If you are going to apply the rules please apply them consistently to both sides of the Committee. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you. 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: I appreciate the Chair’s perseverance and I thank my colleague for his support. One thing that we cannot avoid in this debate is that the mining industry has lost confidence in this Government. It is an extremely capital-intensive industry and it relies on the ability to attract capital.