King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
King Annette: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:653;Page:2199] 
10.  
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by the  
Cabinet Manual  
guidelines on advertising; if so is he satisfied that all Government advertising since the change of Government complies with those guidelines? 
Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes I do stand by the  
Cabinet Manual 
 guidelines. I am not aware that any Ministers or departments have breached those guidelines since the change of Government. I would be disappointed if they had breached them. 
Hon Annette King 
: Does the Prime Minister stand by his own statements that Governments should not be using taxpayer funds to push political messages and instead should be concentrating on helping families through the recession; if so why did his Government spend taxpayers’ money on this highly political advertisement I am holding up? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes; but I cannot read the advertisement and I have not seen it so I am sorry I cannot comment on it. 
Hon Annette King 
: Does the Prime Minister think it is a good use of taxpayers’ money to run an advertisement that gives the impression that all New Zealanders will get the $10 independent earner tax credit when the truth is that nearly 80 percent of New Zealanders will miss out? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: OK so that is what we are talking about. I am surprised that the member has bothered to raise this question in Parliament because it will be very embarrassing for the Opposition. The programme she refers to affects 630000 New Zealanders. From tomorrow they will get $10 each per week. The Minister of Finance took a moment out of his busy schedule to come to ask me personally about the advertising campaign. He went with Treasury’s least expensive option which was a 4-week programme of advertisements in print in the press and online. Its total cost was $600000 and the Minister of Finance said to me as he wandered out of my office “Gosh! We are a low-cost Government compared with the previous Labour Government. It spent $21.5 million on advertising Working for Families.” 
Hon Annette King 
: Did The Prime Minister approve spending taxpayers’ money on this advertisement and why was this advertisement acceptable to the Prime Minister when he said that advertisements about KiwiSaver last year were political propaganda? What is the difference between the adverts on KiwiSaver which gave information to New Zealanders and this advertisement—is that not a word that starts with “h”? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: There are a number of things. First Government departments make decisions on spending. I am advised that Government departments made those decisions absolutely in line with the guidelines. The second thing is that if the member does not like the decision then she should take the matter to the Auditor-General to see what he thinks of it because I think he will find the advert to be low cost. The third thing I can say is that the member should leave the asking of questions of the Prime Minister to her leader. He does not do much of a good job but at least he does a better job than she has done.