Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeShearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 25 June 2013. Volume:691;Page:11180. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.DAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition)to thePrime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):Yes.David Shearer: Does he stand by his statement on the Government Communications Security Bureau legislation that “I don’t actually agree it is expanding their powers”; if so how does he explain section 8 in the bill which allows him to authorise the bureau to use its powers in relation to any Government agency without consulting Parliament?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: In relation to the first part of the question yes.David Shearer: How does he explain section 8 in the bill which allows him to authorise the bureau to use its powers in relation to any Government agency without consulting Parliament when he says that the bill does not expand its powers?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: In my view it does not expand powers. The Government Communications Security Bureau has always had the ability to provide agencies support and that will continue provided it is on a warranted basis.David Shearer: How is he balancing New Zealand’s security and privacy with a bill that allows the Government Communications Security Bureau to access data held by any Government agency including the Inland Revenue Department the Ministry of Health or any district health board in the country?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I am not going to go through all of the records that the bureau might be able to access but the reality is that it has to do that under a warranted basis. It does that providing assistance to another agency. If it was not doing it itself that other agency would have to do that. I would point out to the member that that has been the longstanding practice as established under law by Helen Clark and if that member was really taking his responsibilities seriously he would be voting for the law.David Shearer: Does section 15A in the bill allowing him to grant interception warrants—“(5) This section applies despite anything in any other Act.”—mean that this legislation overrides for example the Crimes Act?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I am not going to offer a legal view because that is not my responsibility. But what I can say is yes I do have the ability to sign a warrant and that is under that well-established practice as any other Minister responsible for the GCSB has had.David Shearer: Does he think consulting with a Minister of Foreign Affairs provides sufficient checks and balances to ensure that the extended powers in the bill are not improperly used?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The member is quite wrong. The powers are not expanded or extended. The oversight is extended. But what the legislation is attempting to do is to ensure that the very poorly drafted legislation that was brought in by a Labour Government in 2003 where it operated it providing assistance right through that whole period of time is actually now clarified. I say to that member if he does not want to keep New Zealanders safe if he does not want to ensure that we have bare information about the security of New Zealanders well keep going the way you are son but you will not become—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Do not bring me into the debate. [Interruption ] Order!David Shearer: Is he prepared to put the bill on hold pending a short sharp independent inquiry of our intelligence agencies that would secure broad parliamentary support?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I now see that the Leader of the Opposition who realises he is on the wrong side of this debate is trying to find a way out with what he is now calling a short sharp inquiry. That is not the way he was describing it a wee while ago. The member knows we have had a thorough review of the Government Communications Security Bureau—absolutely thorough—[Interruption ] Well they have not been able to find one single point that they actually disagree with with the review—not one point. The member knows that because we have had that discussion. It is the SIS that he has been asking about and the Inspector-General has had a thorough review of that.David Shearer: If he believes it is so urgent to put this bill through in its current form when the situation about illegal spying was known last August why did he not just simply act sooner?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well firstly the member is quite wrong. There is no proven fact of illegal spying with the one exception of Kim Dotcom. What is correct is that the law has difficulties of interpretation. It is the law passed by Labour in 2003. It is the law administered by Labour in exactly the same way that I have since I have been Prime Minister. The member knows because he sits on the Intelligence and Security Committee and the member knows because he gets briefings from the Government Communications Security Bureau and the SIS that actually the work that they do provides security to New Zealanders and the reason he is not supporting it is that his little pal sitting next—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption ] Order! That is quite a sufficient answer.