Mallard Trevor: Budget Debate 
Mallard Trevor: Budget Debate 
[Volume:631;Page:3268] 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister for Economic Development) 
: 
 Before the Leader of the Opposition departs I challenge him to have a look at the email I have in my hand. I am happy to table it now because this email shows that the National Party was the beneficiary not of half a million dollars but of $1.2 million of Brethren money. He can run but he cannot hide. 
I have an email from Ron Hickmott who was writing on behalf of Andrew Simmons Phil Winn Matt Goudie and himself. He states that he represents a group of Christian businessmen concerned with the course and direction of the current Government: “Accordingly we have put together an election programme with a budget of $1.2 million with the goal of ‘getting party votes for National’ ”— 
Hon Bill English 
: How much did the unions spend? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It was about $50000 I think. This email is from Ron Hickmott who continued: “Our programme involves extensive publications throughout New Zealand with a theme showing and demonstrating mistrust in the current government and building trust in a Brash led National Government. We write seeking clarification … re the election funding issue specifically that anything that we do does not compromise Nationals funding position. Typically:—1. Does it compromise Nationals position if we communicate to MP’s …? 2. Does it compromise Nationals position if we show them draft publications before they are published? 3. Is there any legality prohibiting us printing ‘Vote National’”— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: What page is that on? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It is probably in the section dealing with serious crime actually. I continue: “Is there any legality prohibiting us printing ‘Vote National’ ‘Vote Brash’ and including a photo of Dr Brash on DLE’s? Can this be done”—Mr Hickmott asks—“without compromising Nationals funding position?”. 
Bob Clarkson 
: Who wrote this memo? 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It was Ron Hickmott one of the leaders of the Brethren—the person who collected $1.2 million in order to assist the National Party campaign. 
Hon Member 
: Patron saints! 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: He might be the patron saint of the National Party but that clearly does not work. It does not work even to the extent of having a leader with a backbone prepared to stay in the House and listen to it. They are not even a solid Opposition—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: The member knows that he cannot refer to the absence of members. Please withdraw that remark. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I am sorry; I withdraw. It is a pity that in the House at the moment there is not anyone with a backbone to sit in the Leader of the Opposition’s seat and say that he or she refutes that—because it cannot be done. Opposition members know they cannot refute that because they have been caught. We all thought and we knew that they had their hands in the Brethren’s pockets for $500000 but it is clear that they actually had their hands in there for $1.2 million. In fact in the case of Gerry Brownlee it sounds as if he had both hands in the Brethren’s pockets at the same time to get a cheque for that sort of amount for the National Party. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Don’t be so pathetic you lying little turd. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: The member knows that that language is not acceptable to the House. He will withdraw and apologise. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I withdraw and apologise—[ 
Interruption 
]—for both of them: “liar” and “turd”—both of them. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Madam Assistant Speaker are you going to deal with that or not? 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: I remind the member that when he withdraws and apologises he does not make comments about the issue he has been made to apologise for so he should stand up and withdraw that remark that he made. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I withdraw and apologise. I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I withdraw and apologise and I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: We can see now why John Key has promised Murray McCully the position as deputy leader of the National Party. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: John Key! 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Well it is not that funny. Bill English has promised the position to Nick Smith. Yes that is why Nick Smith was going around the week before last asking for votes for Bill. That is why Nick was doing the numbers. 
Hon Bill English 
: No. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Does the member mean that Nick Smith was doing the numbers without being promised the deputy leadership? I do not see why he would. I do not see why anyone would want to support Bill English without being offered something like that. Do members mean that he was doing it off his own bat with no rewards being promised? [ 
Interruption 
] The member is more generous than I thought Nick Smith was but then maybe—once again—Nick is slightly off balance. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: That’s an interesting thing to say. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: No no. That is not a proper reference to make. I ask the member to withdraw that remark. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Which remark? 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: The remark he made about the member. 
Jill Pettis 
: Just say he is dizzy! 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: No the matter is being dealt with. I have asked the member to withdraw that remark about the member. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I withdraw. I will have a good look at my  
Hansard 
 later on to work out what I withdrew for. All I am saying is— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ann Hartley) 
: No no. Please be seated. The member knows just as I corrected a previous member for the same reason that he cannot make a comment about his withdrawal of a remark so please withdraw and apologise. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I withdraw and apologise. It is clear to me that Nick Smith has lost his sense of balance and proportion again. I am not suggesting he will go and hit the senior whip this time—in fact the senior whip is quite a bit smaller than the previous whip so I do not think he will do that again this time. But it is clear that Nick Smith has again lost some sense of reality if he is running around getting votes for Bill English. Although I must say it is a close call. You know—who does one give the leadership to? Is it to the person who had the worst loss in 70 years— 
Darren Hughes 
: In 100 years! 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
:—No they are only 70 years old to be fair—or is it to the guy who does not even know where he lives when he fills out an enrolment form? What should those members do? Who should they give the leadership to? Do they give it to the guy who knows where he lives or to the guy who had the worst result? I think the man with the marginal left testicle is the one who is more likely to be in the leadership position by the way National is going. I think that Mr Clarkson is one of National’s brighter members; he is one of the members with more character. I think National will be digging back to that generation and if not to John Hayes—the young man who used to do trade. Is that John Hayes? 
Darren Hughes 
: It’s hard to say. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: It is hard to tell. Of course this Budget is a very very good Budget. We all know that it is a Budget only Labour could deliver. 
We all know the sort of Budget that National wanted to deliver. The coalition Government in Australia is going down the drain—Australia’s interest rates are going up and the Government’s poll ratings are going down but that is the Don Brash approach. He is the former Governor of the Reserve Bank who put up interest rates and did not care about poll ratings. That was his approach when he was governor. 
I want to know on whose side are Mr Tremain Mr Bennett the guy who used to be a principal in Auckland—I have forgotten his name—and the doctor from the North Shore over there. Eventually when they work out that they will never ever be in Government with Don Brash— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: This is a failed teacher! 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Maurice Williamson knows that National will never be in Government with Don Brash. I want to know when those new members are going to get off the fence and decide whether it is Key or English because they need time to get in a bit of practice in order to finish their work. 
I seek leave to table the email from Ron Hickmott indicating that the Exclusive Brethren raised $1.2 million to support the election of the National Party. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.