Graham Kennedy: Parliamentary Service (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill — First Reading 
Graham Kennedy: Parliamentary Service (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:654;Page:3079] 
Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green) 
: 
 I rise to address the Parliamentary Service (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding of Parliamentary Purposes) Bill. Allow me to state from the outset that the Green Party will support the first reading of this bill and its referral to the Finance and Expenditure Committee. The bill will provide as has been noted already an interim meaning until 31 December 2010 for the term “funding entitlements for parliamentary purposes”. 
The bill’s genesis goes back to the Auditor-General’s report of 2006 on advertising expenditure for the 2005 election. Legislation was needed to give clarity to the term and this was done through the Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Act 2007 which expires on 1 July this year. Thus a new interim meaning is needed that can be extended to the end of next year within which time New Zealand’s electoral finance provisions will have been reviewed and no doubt relegislated. Clause 4 of the bill before the House today essentially conveys three principal differences from the previous meaning that have been noted by speakers already namely the time extension of 18 months the exclusion of inter-parliamentary travel and the provision of services and resources to certain electoral candidates whose particular circumstances have been noted. 
I have to say as the member in this House who came in on special votes and replaced Mr Cam Calder I carry something of a feeling of personal responsibility no doubt shared by 4.2 million other New Zealanders in enacting that. In terms of his indirect candidacy in the Mt Albert electorate it is not for me to try to predict the result in any way other than to express the confidence that it will be Dr Norman the third candidate who will win that electorate. But if fate did decree by chance that the election went the way of the National Party I would simply set aside all other political considerations and extend a very warm personal welcome to Mr Cam Calder should he come in. I am told on reliable authority that he is in fact the greenest of the BlueGreens in the National Party. He is a great man and the greenest of the BlueGreens which may be rather a faint-hearted test in terms of green commitment but none the less perhaps it is better than nothing in terms of a litmus test of the commitment of the Government to green issues. But it would be a pleasure in that potential event to welcome him to the House. 
Let me just conclude by reiterating and recalling the proposal the Green Party put forward when the issue was discussed last in November 2007 for a citizens’ assembly. We believe that under the current conditions there is something of a structural bias that accords inherent advantage to incumbents during elections—both individuals and parties—and we believe that that should be rectified and a more level playing field restored by way of the House and its procedures taking further advice from the citizenry of this country. We look forward to further discussion of this in the committee and we are prepared to support the bill as it stands. Thank you.