Joyce Steven: New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeJoyce Steven: New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee[Sitting date: 06 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14458. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development): I have to say when I was listening to the debate tonight there is a very straightforward question for the members of the Opposition—a very straightforward question for the members of the Opposition. Where were they in 2001? Where was Trevor Mallard then with his anger and his upset? Where was Phil Goff? Why were they not winding up Helen Clark and saying “Don’t you dare Prime Minister. Don’t you dare support that horrible convention centre deal with the Skycity Casino.”? Where were they then? They did not say a word. And with that knowledge we all know that what they have been getting themselves wound up about tonight means absolutely nothing. It is pure rubbish politics—“I did not care 10 years ago. Now that I am on the other side of the House I care passionately and deeply.” That is what they are saying. Trevor Mallard in 2001—[Interruption]The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! The member cannot say that. These are debating points [Interruption]—no—and the member cannot use the words “You’re a liar.” [Interruption] Order! I am on my feet. There is a Speaker’s ruling on page 42 that says you cannot call someone a liar. I ask the member to desist from now on. [Interruption] I am the ruler in these matters and there will be no further discussion.Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. You indicated that what the Minister said was a debating point. It is a matter of the record of this House—how I voted on that bill.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): That is not a point of order. [Interruption] Order! The point I raised was that you used unparliamentary language and that is what I asked you to desist from doing.Hon Trevor Mallard: It’s a matter of fact.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The matter of fact is that the Labour Party was in Government in 2001 when a deal was done with Skycity to build a convention centre in Auckland in return for additional pokie machines and Trevor Mallard was silent. I didnot see any protests from Trevor Mallard. I did not see him crossing the floor. I did not see him doing anything to indicate concern about this and that is why everybody should ignore his false anger tonight. He is a specialist in false anger just like his friend Mr Goff. Where was Mr Goff in 2001 when Mark Burton and Helen Clark were getting positively excited and passionate about the new convention centre in Auckland? They were nowhere because they were not at all concerned at that point. But miraculously when they are on the other side of the House they are concerned.Where were the Greens? Where were the cardboard cut-outs of the gambling machines in 2001 Greens? Where were you then Greens? You were nowhere. You were not part of it in 2001. You were quiet as church mice sitting—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Order! Don’t bring me into it.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Sorry. The Greens were quiet as church mice sitting quietly. Auntie Helen said it was all OK. “We will not be concerned about this. We will get something back for this.”—that is where the Greens were in 2001. We should ignore all their protestations tonight because they had none when it counted. When they were supporting a Government the Labour Party and the Greens were quiet and that is why this should be ignored. That is why all this false outrage all this excitement and all this standing up to claim the speaking slot is all a pantomime. It is a pantomime and it is time it was called tonight. It is a pantomime from the Opposition. Those members are lions in Opposition and they are absolute lambs when they are in Government and tonight we have seen it. Tonight we have had the proof.Not only that but they were poor negotiators. They have been having the Government on saying that the Government was taken for a ride. Well in 2001 the deal was for the same number of pokie machines and a convention centre one-quarter of the size. That is where they were at in 2001. It was the most appalling deal that this Government—Hon Trevor Mallard: Judith Collins did the deal.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: It does not matter. You were the Government Trevor. Trevor was in the Government. You were in the Government at the time. Where was the law? Why did you not change the law Trevor? Why did Labour not put through a law to stop it happening? That is the question I have for you Mr Mallard and you did not do that because you did not object then. You were quite happy then and today it is suddenly the worst thing in the world. Well Trevor I have no respect for you for making those comments. I have no respect for you at all because it is the most appalling thing to oppose something so vehemently now when you actually allowed it to occur in 2001. It is sanctimonious claptrap—sanctimonious claptrap—and it is time this debate was brought to a conclusion.The other thing is—[Interruption]The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Order! [Interruption] Calm down. The member once again—Speaker’s ruling on page 42 says you cannot say “Tell the truth.” I will ask the member again to not use that unparliamentary language in the Chamber.Iain Lees-Galloway: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. The Minister himself just used the phrase “Tell the truth.” so I ask you to call him to order as well.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Well if that is the case I did not pick that up. [Interruption] Order! When I am on my feet there is quiet. The Speaker’s ruling on page 42 is very clear. You cannot use unparliamentary language. I ask you to respect that ruling. This is a robust debate and I am happy with that. Everyone is going to get their say on this—they have had a big say so far—but let us keep it seemly and keep the language correct.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: There are some very straightforward questions for the Opposition to answer. Why is it such a bad thing now when it was not back then? For the Greens why are the Greens running a debate now when they were not back then?Grant Robertson: Judith Collins.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No you cannot hide behind—Grant Robertson: No!Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Where was the law Grant Robertson? When you were in Helen Clark’s office where was the law saying that we will not be doing this? Where was that then? You did not have one. You did not change the law to stop it happening. You actually went and supported it.Worse than that Labour members not only did not stop it but they went out and celebrated it. Mark Burton went to the opening as Minister of Tourism. He celebrated the success. He said what a wonderful thing it was. Helen Clark said what a wonderful thing it was to see that investment by Skycity in the convention infrastructure in New Zealand. Grant Robertson hates it because conveniently he has now become an opponent. Grant Robertson has become an opponent to Skycity which is very convenient given that half the caucus was in the hospitality box at Skycity saying that everything was OK. But he is now an opponent. That is why I cannot respect you in this debate Mr Robertson because in 2003—Dr David Clark: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I appreciate that the Minister is quite emotional about all this but on several occasions he has said that he has no respect for you and I find that to be abominable in this Chamber.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): I am listening very carefully to those points and I will rule on them appropriately at the time.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: That is why you cannot have respect for these people in this debate. In 2001 and 2003 this party to my left was not only quiet but was in favour of exactly this sort of deal. Its members did speeches on it—they did absolute speeches—and here he is now Grant Robertson absolutely denying it. He is in denial. He is a Skycity convention centre denier. That is the reality of where Grant Robertson is today.So over the course of this debate we have had incredibly small amounts of anything that is actually related to the bill. All we have had is a rerunning of all the hypocrisy between the Labour Party and the Greens and everybody who opposes this thing but who were quiet in 2001 and quiet in 2003.Metiria Turei: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I take offence at the description of the Green Party as hypocrites which was made by the Minister when we voted against the Gambling Bill—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Order! I have heard the points you have made. The Minister did not use the word “hypocrite”; he said “hypocrisy” and that is a word that has been accepted. I appreciate the point you make. The Minister has 3 minutes remaining.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Just to refresh Mr Robertson’s memory these are the lines that Mark Burton used in—Denise Roche: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I would just like to make the point that the Minister was factually incorrect about this.The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): No that is not a point of order. All you are doing is interrupting the flow of the debate.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The Greens are feeling their silence from 2001 I feel. Here is what Mark Burton said—[Interruption]The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Order! I know what is going to happen. No one can comment on a ruling that I have made so let us carry on in a seemly manner without getting into these sideshows that we are having.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Mark Burton said in 2001: “Skycity’s $140 million investment into this facility will give it the capacity to compete for a whole new range of prestige events.” That does not sound like somebody opposing it to me. He went on to say: “The potential gains from this are widespread—not only for”—Grant Robertson: Is this the same deal? No—this is a whole different deal and you know it Steven.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Oh it is a whole different deal. This is a National Party deal as against a Labour Party deal. Oh of course! How silly of me! This is the hypocrisy that we are talking of. This is what Mark Burton said: “The potential gains from this”—Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I know you have ruled on this matter very recently. What he has done then is label a party as hypocrites. He said about a party “This is the hypocrisy.”The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): No—Hon Trevor Mallard: That is exactly what he said. He pointed to members—The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): Order! He talked about the hypocrisy of the policies—he did not say anyone was a hypocrite—and that is an acceptable use of that phrase. I have already ruled on that this evening. The Hon Steven Joyce has the call with 2 minutes remaining.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Thank you. As I said Mr Burton’s comments—the Hon Mark Burton the Minister of Tourism for a Labour Government at the time—were that “The potential gains from this are widespread—not only for Skycity but for the Auckland city and region the tourism industry and the whole of New Zealand.”Hon Trevor Mallard: People have died as a result.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Unfortunately Trevor Mallard was not around at the time. He was not around at the time. I did not hear this in 2001 Trevor. I did not hear what I am hearing now. In 2001 Helen Clark—the saintly Helen Clark—the Prime Minister said: “In Auckland Sky City has pumped $140 million into its new Convention Centre and Auckland City has rebranded and upgraded its conventions facilities”. It has been pleasing to see”—pleasing to see—“continuing investment in the quality of our tourism infrastructure.” Labour once again are the “Yeah Nah Yeah Party”. Its members are not debating any of the points tonight. They are trying to deny their history. That is fine. They can do that. But the New Zealand public sees it for what it is.