Carter John: Television New Zealand Bill — In Committee 
Carter John: Television New Zealand Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3825] 
JOHN CARTER (NZ National—Northland) 
: 
 I want to follow that speech made by Deborah Coddington because there is an issue around clause 41 that needs to be broadened. I have been a member of this House for longer than any of the members who are sitting in the Chamber other than the Chairperson himself. I think he has been here for the same length of time as me. I often wonder when we pass legislation such as this why we are doing it at all. I have read through the bill tonight and I am perplexed about what we are trying to achieve. What is the purpose of this bill? When I look at the current Act and then at this bill—Part 5 in particular and clause 41 specifically—I wonder why we are passing it. This Parliament has a bad habit—not just this Government but past Governments as well—of passing legislation because that is what we do and there does not seem to be any real reason for us to pass this bill. I have not heard the Minister take a call in the Committee stage of this bill—although he may have done when I was not in the Chamber—to explain to us the need for and the purposes of this legislation. Obviously it has purposes but there does not seem to be any absolute rhyme or reason for us to pass it.  
The only thing that I can think of when I look at clause 35 in Part 5 which enacts the amendments to the enactments listed in Schedule 1—and that schedule pretty much covers the whole of the bill—is that that allows if a Government wanted to exercise it the opportunity for there to be political direction of TVNZ. I know the Minister would say that that is not the Government’s intention and in his mind that may very well not be the intention. However I would love the Minister to take a call and say that is not what is intended— 
Hon Steve Maharey 
: That’s not what’s intended. 
JOHN CARTER 
: The Minister should take a call and say that so that we can actually have it on the record not just as a little wee interjection. If the Minister will not take a call we will have to get Mr Tamihere to make a speech to tell us what the Minister is thinking. That may be a way round it. Mr Tamihere might say it more directly or perhaps he might agree with me on this bill—that is that the bill does not achieve much at all. Mr Tamihere has some quite eloquent terms with which to describe legislation such as this. I am sure the Minister would not want Mr Tamihere to talk about this bill in the way that he has spoken about other bills and other various policy matters that this Minister is in charge of.  
When I look at some of the things that are already in the legislation I see that there already seems to be some political interference with TVNZ so one then wonders whether this bill is not a wider opportunity for that to occur. Other members have already commented about the possibility that a party with some influence may ask for a particular direction to be taken by TVNZ. As has been said it could be that somebody will decide it is the State’s duty to use TVNZ as a way in which to pass information around to young people about the consequences of sexual activity and so on. That could be a possibility under this legislation. I am sure that is not what is intended but a whole number of things could happen as a consequence of that. We could get a party that has some influence on the Government asking for a particular direction to be taken. We must not forget that at the end of the day every year TVNZ will have to come to the Government for funding and there could be some tags tied to that. That really does concern me.  
When I looked at the issue that relates to the schedules and the bill itself I wondered why the Minister was not prepared to accept the amendments put in the previous part by Stephen Franks. Those seemed to be logical amendments.