Brown Peter: Border Security Bill — In Committee 
Brown Peter: Border Security Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:617;Page:13274] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I am encouraged by my colleague Shane Ardern’s speech. I am encouraged that the National Party is taking this issue seriously because this bill is little more than a con trick. This is a con trick on exporters importers and the New Zealand people. Border security is a cost that should be borne by us all. It is a very important issue and the cost should be paid legitimately out of taxation. It should not be imposed on a segment of our country—namely importersexporters and trans-shipment. 
Jill Pettis 
: They are making it we are paying. 
PETER BROWN 
: I do not think the member has read the bill. She should read what her Government is putting out on this. I will explain to the member just what is happening. There will be an additional cost of $20 million to upgrade the border security systems. The suggestion is that exporters pay $8 million importers pay $4 million and trans-shipment—whoever they are—also pay. Nobody knows at this point whether they are the cargo owners the cargo people bringing it in and transhipping it on or the carrier; that has yet to be defined. That comes to $20 million. What the Government has done is con Rod Donald because the Greens do not know and they have not— 
Hon David Carter 
: They haven’t conned the Greens; they have conned New Zealand First. 
PETER BROWN 
: Will the member put his brain into gear and then something sensible will come out of his mouth from time to time. 
Brent Catchpole 
: A load of irrelevance again. 
PETER BROWN 
: Yes. The Greens did not know the breakdown of the cost. I asked Ian Ewen-Street today and he told me it was fifty-fifty. It is not but it is fifty-fifty on the exporters alone. Importers will bear the cost of $4 million and trans-shipment people will bear the full cost of $8 million—that is if the Government identifies the carriers as the importer exporter or the person who carries it in and takes it out again. But for exporters the Government is prepared to give $4 million : $4 million. That is 80 percent : 20 percent. That is unfair in this day and age. 
I think Mr Ewen-Street agrees with me and I see him nodding. But I guess he will be whipped—or mustered—into line to go along with this unfair legislation. I put up a Supplementary Order Paper which I trust the sensible members of the National Party including Mr Shane Ardern will read and give us their support. I think he should put a bag over his colleague’s head to keep him quiet for a little bit longer. 
Hon David Carter 
: Not a voluntary euthanasia bag! 
PETER BROWN 
: But not a voluntary euthanasia bag Mr Ardern—I do not want him to take it too far. I think there will be several calls tonight on this issue and I hope the National Party takes the time to read the Supplementary Order Paper and give it support. Similarly I hope the ACT party will also take the time to do so. I think Mr Eckhoff is already studying the Supplementary Order Paper and giving us support and I hope United Future will take note of this Supplementary Order Paper and give us its support. There is no hope for the Greens. They have been lost in a wash of mystery. 
I must say this Government made a commitment in its manifesto some years ago that border security costs would be a legitimate cost to the taxpayer but Dr Cullen has so much money in his coffers that he does not want to part with it. He has what one would call the Scrooge mentality—when one has a lot one wants more. Are members aware of that sort of mentality? Dr Cullen should be looking into the importance of this bill to the country and putting his hand in the pocket and pulling out the $20 million to put into this bill whereupon it would go through the House with unanimous support I suspect. If the duties described in this bill were funded correctly—by the taxpayer—then the bill would go through unanimously. I suggest members would be spending only 10 minutes on this bill because its substance makes sense. We all know we want border security and that it has to be upgraded but we strongly object to the cost being put on to exporters. 
Jill Pettis 
: But we’re putting in $4 million. 
PETER BROWN 
: The member has woken up.