Peachey Allan: Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill — In Committee 
Peachey Allan: Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:643;Page:13137] 
ALLAN PEACHEY (National—Tamaki) 
: 
 I appreciate the opportunity to once again speak in support of— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: We’ll get the closure after this one. 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: —we will come to the member—National’s opposition to this Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill. Surely the Government could have come up with a more accurate title than that. 
Lesley Soper 
: We’re not talking about the title. We’re on clause 3. 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: Listen to those Government members. They have nothing to say. 
When I look at clause 3 which we are debating at the moment I see provisions to undermine democracy in this country. That is what this is all about. It is one more insidious socialist step to undermine democracy in New Zealand. I am proud to be on this side of the Chamber and to be contributing to the debate in defence of the fine New Zealand democratic tradition. 
We have to ask this question: why did Labour not declare the pledge card? Every New Zealander knows the answer. There are 850000 reasons and they are called dollars—taxpayers’ dollars. When I look at the material I have here I see all this red stuff. Just by coincidence the one on the top of my pile happens to be in the name of the Minister in the chair—“ 
Trevor Mallard MP for Hutt South Reports 
”. I am given to reflect— 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Should that go out close to the election? 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: What I am worried about I say to Mr Ryall is that it will go into somebody’s letterbox in Hutt South and a child coming home from school will as children do rush to the letterbox get the mail and see this document. That child will not think “Paid for by my parents.”; he or she will think “Oh my God it must be Halloween.” The tragedy of that is that the Government wants this sort of stuff paid for by that child’s parents—the taxpayer. Nobody who believes in the fundamental tenets of democracy will believe that that should happen. Mr Clarkson can have the document; I never want to see it again. 
This bill is all about distorting the role of the democratic process at election time. I suggest to this Committee that those of us who are privileged to be members of Parliament have an extra responsibility particularly at election time to ensure that those who wish to put up their names in opposition to us have as fair a crack at the battle— 
Hon Judith Tizard 
: Ha ha! 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: Listen to the member for Auckland Central cackling and laughing. That is the level of her respect for democracy. That is her contempt for the people of New Zealand and her contempt for those who would seek to offer their names in opposition to her. I am delighted to be able to tell the Committee that in next year’s election that member will be held accountable by the people of Auckland Central and she will be gone as will many of her colleagues. 
Now I will get back to the important point I was making. It is a simple fundamental tenet of democracy that those who would seek to challenge us for our seats are entitled to a fair crack. Next year they should not have to go into an election campaign knowing that they are running against an incumbent member of Parliament who has access to taxpayers’ money to pay for that sort of stuff. That is what the Government is attempting to do with this legislation.