Cunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCunliffe David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18714. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Leader of the Opposition)to the Prime Minister: Is he concerned about rising inequality in New Zealand?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Acting Prime Minister):As the member well knows the most recent research shows that income inequality is not rising in New Zealand. I know that members are worried about other forms of inequality and so am I particularly the inequality between the support for David Cunliffe in the Labour caucus—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That may not help the order of the House.Hon David Cunliffe: Given those comments does the Prime Minister stand by his statement in the United States that National has known for 2 weeks about the existence of a letter from me to Mr Donghua Liu and how does he reconcile that with Mr English’s comments that senior National Party MPs did not know about it? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! It may be Thursday afternoon and some members may be keen to return to their electorates early and if the noise keeps up to this level somebody will. I will hear the point of order from the Hon Gerry Brownlee and I remind members it is a point of order.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My point is simply this. Although the Acting Prime Minister on behalf of the Prime Minister is happy to answer the question it is very wide of the wickets and perhaps is an indicator of the capacity inside our opponents to deliver—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I reminded members to my left before the point of order was started that it is a point of order. So would the member please finish his point of order.Hon Gerry Brownlee: No I think I made the point.Grant Robertson: It was quite clear at the end of the Acting Prime Minister’s answers that he introduced this material. It is perfectly within the Standing Orders to ask questions in response to that.Mr SPEAKER: The Acting Prime Minister in answering certainly extended the scope. I invite him now to answer the question that was asked by the Hon David Cunliffe.Hon BILL ENGLISH: I understand that the letter was in the public arena because it was requested under the Official Information Act by a number of media outlets and that prior to that I am advised today it came to the notice of a Minister who was answering oral questions in the House when the Leader of the Opposition was on his high horse about cronyism between Maurice Williamson and why he should be sacked because of it.Hon David Cunliffe: Given that the New Zealand Herald journalist concerned requested the letter that we have been referring to regarding Mr Donghua Liu only on Monday of this week how is it that he knew about it for the last 2 weeks?Hon BILL ENGLISH: It is apparent that the New Zealand Herald journalist was more concerned about understanding the background to these events than the Leader of the Opposition was who had been vigorously prosecuting the campaign against Mr Liu and Maurice Williamson for about 3 weeks. He should have done the same thing—that is find out the information himself in the same way that the New Zealand Herald journalist did.Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a very specific question and it was not addressed in the answer by the Acting Prime Minister.Mr SPEAKER: In my opinion and to the best of my ability to hear the answer the answer was adequately addressed by—[Interruption] Order! The member will remain in his seat while I am on my feet. It would be helpful if I could more clearly listen to the answer. That would certainly require less interjection from the left.Hon David Cunliffe: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Just to clarify are you asking me to repeat the question because you were unable to hear the answer?Mr SPEAKER: No I am not. I am saying that the question has been addressed but I am inviting the member to continue with further supplementary questions if he so wishes.Hon David Cunliffe: I will. Thank you. Given that the New Zealand Herald journalist concerned requested the letter in only the last 48 hours how did the Prime Minister know about it for the last 2 weeks?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Well the member would need to ask the Prime Minister that question—[Interruption]—and I understand that he is being asked that question and no doubt he will answer it. But that member seems to be riding flat out on his high horse towards the pet-food factory.Hon David Cunliffe: Does he think his Minister of Finance misled listeners on Radio New Zealand this morning when he said that senior National Party MPs did not know about the letter?Hon BILL ENGLISH: No. I was speaking for myself. I was aware of the letter yesterday and as John Campbell said like many other New Zealanders I was shocked I was stunned I could not believe it and I am surprised that the member wants to keep talking about it.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Was it reasonable for the Prime Minister to assume that at some point as the arguments were evolving the Leader of the Opposition might have outed himself before the Official Information Act process did it for him?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The Prime Minister probably assumed that the Leader of the Opposition when he was vigorously prosecuting the resignation of a Government Minister knew what he was doing and was familiar with the background to the issue. But it appears that like Labour Party policies it was unresearched critical details were missing and the Leader of the Opposition now has to take responsibility for yet another mess which his caucus is pretty upset about.Hon David Cunliffe: On which occasion has the Hon Bill English been misleading the public—when he said on Radio New Zealand National this morning that senior National Party MPs did not know about the letter or when he has just acknowledged in the House on behalf of the Prime Minister that the Prime Minister did?Hon BILL ENGLISH: No. I was asked my view about that issue on Radio New Zealand National and I answered to the best of my knowledge which is that I did not know about that letter and I did not know whether other Ministers knew about it. The critical thing is that I knew more than David Cunliffe when I knew almost nothing.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Would he advise the Leader of the Opposition to make a thorough check of his party files and other matters to ensure that all declarations around donations are as well recorded as this particular letter?Mr SPEAKER: It is a good try but on this occasion there is certainly no responsibility there.Hon David Cunliffe: Further to the Acting Prime Minister’s last answer can the House take it that he now thinks “to the best of somebody’s knowledge based on the information available to them at the time” is an absolutely right and proper answer?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Actually I think the answer to that is yes. But of course when I said to the media that I did not know about the letter I was not testing the trust of New Zealanders in the way that David Cunliffe is now. He said he would not tell us where he lived. He said it was a doer-upper and it was a mansion. He announced policies without—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] The member has a right to ask a supplementary question.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Members may not like the questions but people are listening to them. Can he tell the House whether who knew what or when changes the fact that the Leader of the Opposition tried to hide the material facts?Mr SPEAKER: Again I do not believe there is any ministerial responsibility. [Interruption] Could the House please settle down.