Norman Russel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNorman Russel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 November 2013. Volume:695;Page:14755. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green) to theMinister of Finance: Why has he announced that the Government plans to end its asset sales programme given that he claims it has been a success?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): I merely pointed out that the Government’s only plan is the share offer programme set out in January 2011 on which we campaigned all of election year—and the Government actually won that election; not the Opposition as it alleged the other day. If there were any further share sales we would be transparent about it and campaign on it. The programme is a success because we have met the objectives we set 3 years ago in the sales that we have executed so far with another one to be completed today or tomorrow.Dr Russel Norman: Can he categorically rule out selling Kiwibank at any point in the future given that when he was asked in 2008 whether he wants to sell Kiwibank his answer was: “Eventually but not now.”?Hon BILL ENGLISH: That I understand was a tape-recording which by the admission of the person who recorded it was doctored. I can give the member that categorical assurance.Dr Russel Norman: Can he categorically rule out selling the $1.3 billion Landcorp at any point in the future given that it was National Party policy to sell Landcorp in the 2005 election campaign when the current Prime Minister was National’s finance spokesperson?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The Government is actually selling bits of Landcorp all the time. The member may not be aware of it but the point of Landcorp was to preserve lands and survey farms for the purposes of Treaty settlements. As Treaty settlements are executed the Government is involved in selling bunches of five six farms. I know that offends the Greens deeply because they think the Government should own all the farms and then shut them down but actually we want to get on with Treaty settlements. Landcorp is buying and leasing farms as well.Dr Russel Norman: Given that that was a no can he categorically rule out selling the remaining 51 percent—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Point of order Dr Gerry Brownlee—Gerry Brownlee.Grant Robertson: Dr Gerry Brownlee!Hon Member: That’s impossible.Mr SPEAKER: That is probably true. The Hon Gerry Brownlee.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I am not surprised that you would make that mistake Mr Speaker. Can I just ask you to consider whether it is appropriate for someone asking a question to start with the words: “Given that that was a no”? That is not acceptable and Mr Norman needs to be held to account.Mr SPEAKER: It is certainly not a useful way to start a question because in actual fact it was not factual given the answer the Minister gave. But in this case if the member could just ask a supplementary question he would assist the order of the House.Dr Russel Norman: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Can I take it from your intervention that you have interpreted the Minister’s answer as a yes?Mr SPEAKER: I certainly interpreted the answer as a satisfactory answer to the question that the member gave. If the member wants to continue asking supplementary questions on this question then we will do so but if not we will move to question No. 2.Dr Russel Norman: Can the Minister categorically rule out selling at any point in the future the remaining 51 percent of the electricity companies that remain in public ownership given that partial privatisation was a stepping stone to full privatisation for the Bank of New Zealand in the 1990s?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes I can give the member that assurance and I am pleased he has now realised that these companies are 51 percent owned by the Government. I hope he will inform all of those who want to vote in his referendum that that is the case because those who have listened to him so far think that these companies have been 100 percent sold when they have not.Dr Russel Norman: Can he categorically rule out privatising ACC at any point in the future given that it was a previous National Government that privatised ACC in the past?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Yes I can do that but I am very pleased with the performance of our ACC Ministers Nick Smith and Judith Collins who have overseen a remarkable turn-round in the performance of that organisation after it was left in a complete mess by the previous Government.Dr Russel Norman: In light of the Minister’s previous comments in support of Kiwibank in light of the fact that it has been National Party policy previously to sell Landcorp and in light of the fact that a previous National Government did privatise the ACC is it not true that the National Party wants to sell assets but that it is public pressure that prevents it from doing so?Hon BILL ENGLISH: No what is true is that when the National Party sets out to execute a policy that is challenging for the public we make it quite transparent what we are going to do if we are elected and we give the voters the chance to cast their votes knowing that those policies have been proposed. I would invite that member to set out just as transparently and in detail before the election the impact of his climate change policy on household costs so that voters have the chance to look at that.Dr Russel Norman: How can members of the public express their opposition to the Government’s asset sales programme?Hon BILL ENGLISH: They take the opportunity I am sure sometimes to address that directly to MPs. They had the opportunity in the 2011 election to weigh up the significance of that policy versus others and if they had followed the direction of the member they knew that the 2011 election was a referendum on asset sales. As I recall it under the rules of our democracy the National Party and its supporters won that election. In fact the Opposition did not win the election as that member claimed last week.Dr Russel Norman: Is public pressure the only thing that will stop National privatising more assets given its intent from the past; and given that public pressure can be expressed first by voting “No” to asset sales in the upcoming referendum is that a perfect way for the public to have their views expressed?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The member is now scraping around for a reason to try to make his referendum look relevant when of course it never was because the Government had a mandate and it got that mandate because it announced its policy 11 months ahead of an election campaigned on it in detail and debated it with the Opposition. One of the results of that was that the National Party received the highest-ever single party vote under MMP. So we proceeded with that plan it is almost finished and the member can do what he likes with his referendum.