Dean Jacqui: General Debate 
Dean Jacqui: General Debate 
[Volume:633;Page:4644] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Otago) 
: 
 I want to make a gesture to the Labour Party. I want to make a gesture to the Government. What I will do is offer Labour members some of my speaking time in which they can have the opportunity to raise a point of order. This is a genuine offer. I would like to give the members who are present on the other side of the Chamber—and I see Sue Moroney—an opportunity to stand up and give their support to Taito Phillip Field. They should do it now. Let it be noted that I have invited those members to do so. I have made time available. I am happy to do it again so that the members opposite can stand up and give their support to Taito Phillip Field. I will give them another moment. Look at them. Not one of the members opposite is prepared to get up and support their colleague. What does that tell us? It tells us there is a cover-up. There is a smell in this Chamber and that smell revolves around Taito Phillip Field. 
I listened to the maiden speech of the new Labour member. It was very good in fact. He has high ideals for himself for his party and also for New Zealand. What a shame that his Government does not live up to those modest ideals. Boy is he in for a shock when he gets to know what it is like to be within the Labour caucus. The Labour caucus members do not have the guts to stand up and support their colleague in the House. I again offer them an opportunity to stand up in this House and lend their support to their colleague Taito Phillip Field. No the silence is absolutely deafening. 
Mind you this is a party whose leader signs paintings that she does not paint herself; this is a party whose leader sped through South Canterbury last year and then blamed it on her police escort; this is a party whose leader as Prime Minister loves her people so much that she referred to a staff member as “a lowly messenger”. This is a Prime Minister who will do anything whatever it takes to hold on to power. 
I want to see a select committee inquiry into the goings-on of Taito Phillip Field. It is not a hard thing to ask but will the Government do it? I doubt it. We needed a select committee inquiry but what did we get? After 9 months of waiting we got a report on Taito Phillip Field. These were the powers of the inquiry. Noel Ingram’s powers were no different from the ability of any natural person—in other words he had no powers. He did not have the power to compel attendance of witnesses before him to give evidence. He did not have the power to administer oaths in relation to those examined or interviewed. He was the same as me. He had no powers to compel the production of documents in the course of this inquiry. This is not good enough for the people of New Zealand. 
The Labour Party has just celebrated its 90th birthday—90 proud years of the Labour Party. Man those members must be absolutely ashamed of what is going on in this House in 2006. We have here Labour members with their heads down; Labour members who are not prepared to get up in this House and support their colleague. What must those people who founded the Labour Party 90 years ago be thinking of the party today which is prepared to shield a man who has taken advantage of people. 
Remember this is the Labour Party. This is the party that will not support a man who has taken advantage of illegal immigrants and paid them less than the minimum wage. This is the Labour Party—the workers’ party. This is the party that is shielding a man who paid immigrant people less than the minimum wage. Oh yes! Labour members are not laughing now. What we need is a select committee inquiry. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.