Ryall Tony: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Ryall Tony: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:629;Page:1153] 
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
: 
 This Labour Party pledge card is a dishonest piece of paper that has on it a dishonest photo and a signature that counts for nothing. The Labour Party is a party that has plundered the public purse with breathtaking arrogance. Don Brash was right when square in the eye he said to Labour yesterday: “Pay the money back.” Two official bodies the Chief Electoral Office and the Electoral Commission have referred this dishonest piece of political campaigning to the police. It is the first time in the history of New Zealand that a political party has been referred to the New Zealand Police for overspending in an election. 
Mike Williams has confirmed that this pledge card was funded with taxpayers’ money and that Labour has done it before. Dr Cullen confirmed how Labour has funded its pledge cards in the past. He said that Labour had done pretty much the same thing in 2002 and questions were not raised. That is the argument that Mr Hodgson raised on radio today. Well of course no questions were asked because no parliamentary logo is on the card. It has written on it: “Authorised by Mike Smith” the secretary of the Labour Party and “160 Willis Street Wellington”. Who would have thought that that was taxpayer-funded? But now we have found that Labour has plundered the public purse again and that it breached the electoral spending limits last time as well. Had Labour been caught by the electoral officials it would have been found to be over the limit last time as well as this time. 
I want to ask about another dishonest Labour Party publication that was sent to nearly every home in New Zealand within days of the election. It is another dishonest brochure that has in it another dishonest photo. The photo bears absolutely only a passing resemblance to a person who has been investigated by the police at least twice and found wanting. It is another piece of expensive party political propaganda funded by the public and this party in Opposition asks whether it was declared as an election expense. Distributed to just about every home in New Zealand was this declared as an election expense as it was plundering the taxpayers’ purse to put the Labour Party back in office by yet again breaching the spending limits in this country? 
Here is the real dishonesty. When the Government knew that the Auditor-General was on to its game the Prime Minister was pretty tricky. She did not want to meet with him. She did not want to know. But the Government had constructive knowledge because Minister Hodgson confirmed today that Minister Mallard and “Minister Simpson” met extensively with the Auditor-General to discuss his concerns about parliamentary party advertising. So nobody in this House should try to tell me that Helen Clark did not know what the Auditor-General was on about. 
What happened here was that that party opposite has got so used to breaking the rules and ignoring the law that it just did not get it when it came to this credit card. This is the Prime Minister who was investigated for art fraud. The police said that there was a prima facie case. She was as guilty as guilty but it was not worth investigating her because of her position. The police knew about the Prime Minister’s involvement in the motorcade. The Prime Minister never talks to the police. She never answers their questions. She only sends a statement. I wonder what she will say about her involvement with this dishonest little card—$420000: 20 percent more spending on the election than Labour was allowed. Do not tell me that this has not had a material impact on the election campaign the closest election campaign we have had in a generation in this country. Labour members should not stand here and say that the fact that they deliberately breached the law had no impact on the general election. That party stole the election by stealing money from the taxpayers. The Labour Party plundered money from the taxpayers. That is what the Labour Party did. The Prime Minister knows that it stole $440000. 
How much did this publication cost? I ask Mr Mallard how much this cost. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: How much did yours cost? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I say “cheers” to Minister Dalziel. I will shout her a drink if she tells me the truth. Tell me how much this cost. I will shout Lianne Dalziel a drink if she tells me whether this is included in the Labour Party’s campaign spending as well. 
That party opposite is doing everything to try to muddy the waters on its electoral spending. We saw exactly that on “paintergate”. Remember: “Oh oh who’s complained?”. It was all about the person who complained. When that was tired it was: “Oh oh the law’s confusing—who knows?”. But the law was not confusing. That is what the Labour Party is arguing: “The law is confusing.” The law is not confusing it is absolutely clear. 
How about this complete fabrication on National Radio today? Minister Hodgson said that one cannot go to the electoral officials and get an indication on whether something is included in the spending. He said that one cannot go to the officials. He said: “I went to the officials once and I was declined.” That is what he said on the radio; members heard it. The fact is they have been giving opinions to political parties in the election campaign like they were going out of fashion and the Labour Party is caught on the skewer. It has used taxpayers’ money to fund a dishonest little card with a dishonest photo trying to tell New Zealanders what its commitments were. 
But let us just look at these two cards. I tell Minister Mallard that we have a card paid for by the taxpayers. And we have a card that Minister Mallard’s party now admits was paid for by the taxpayers. What does the card state? It states: “Authorised by Mike Smith 160 Willis Street” the secretary of the Labour Party. That is an election expense. No one complained about the public use of taxpayers’ money with this. None of us thought there was public money involved because it was authorised by Mike Smith. If it was public money why would it necessarily carry an authorisation? And there was no crest on the card. So that was another piece of dishonesty by someone involved in this campaign. Where was the parliamentary crest that should have been on this card if it was a taxpayer expense? 
Hon Member 
: Because they are used to lies! 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Well someone is used to lies but we are not allowed to say it in the Parliament. But I have to say this. This party opposite should take Don Brash’s advice and pay the money back. It should go and see its mates. Helen Clark came to Parliament to soak the rich and has spent most of her time in Parliament sucking up to the rich. She should go and see them. 
Darren Hughes 
: That is not even original. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: No it is not but it applies. But here is a promise and here is the credit card. I will tell the member this. That party opposite has plundered the public purse with breathtaking arrogance—$450000. How many operations could that have paid for? How many Child Youth and Family Services carers could that have paid for—how many services for New Zealand from this dishonest little card from that dishonest party opposite?