Smith Nick: General Debate 
Smith Nick: General Debate 
[Volume:634;Page:5432] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) 
: 
 That was the Minister of Health Pete Hodgson who is saying to doctors pharmacists and hospitals that they have to pay the money back. But when it comes to the Government he says it writes the rules so it will take public money use it wrongly and not have to pay it back. What we witness in this country today sadly is just one case after another of the gross abuse of power by this Labour Government. It is trampling all over the independence of statutory officers like the Auditor-General it is trampling all over the Chief Electoral Officer—the referee for our free and democratic country—and it is stomping all over the independence of the Solicitor-General. 
Today the Government says that regardless of what the Auditor-General says it followed the rules. That is a bit interesting because a few days ago the Government said it would not decide whether it would pay the money back until the Auditor-General gave his final ruling. Now the Government says it does not give a stuff what the Auditor-General says and it will not pay the money back. I say to the members of this arrogant Government that every New Zealander knows the common-sense fact that this pledge card issued 2 weeks prior to the election was part of Labour’s election campaign. To pretend anything different from that is to treat New Zealanders with disdain. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: It’s exactly the same as National’s. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I say to Lianne Dalziel that it is really interesting that Mike Smith wrote to the chief returning officer 2 weeks before the election to say that Labour would accept that ruling and that the pledge card expense would be included in its election return only to backtrack on that afterwards. 
But it is not just in the area of electoral law that this arrogant Government tramples all over independence. Today we have seen the sacking of the chairman of the Electricity Commission. Do members remember that Mr Roy Hemmingway was appointed by this Labour Government? He was interviewed personally by the Minister of Energy. I want to read what he had to say today for the benefit of the people of New Zealand. “I can only conclude that I am being removed from office because I stood up to the government as an independent regulator should. I have insisted that regulatory decisions be on the basis of the law and the facts and not on what politicians want.” Mr Hemmingway says that this Government has been interfering with the independence of not only the Auditor-General but also the Electricity Commission. 
Mr Hemmingway goes on further to state: “I was promised that the Electricity Commission would be independent of the government’s wishes. This has not turned out to be true. Regardless of what it says this government has not trusted regulation to deliver the outcome that only good regulation can …”. He goes on to state: “Politicising electricity decisions will hurt investor confidence in the sector and result in an even more confusing muddle of policies than now.” We have an awful mess within the electricity sector. It is failing on every front. The lights are going out in Auckland prices are going through the roof greenhouse gas emissions are growing at the fastest rate of those in any developed country and now the Government is shooting the messenger—the electricity commissioner—who has attempted to do his job competently. 
But the real worry is the way that this Government is tearing up the constitutional fabric of our democratic society. We have independent officers like the electricity commissioner the Solicitor-General and the Auditor-General to keep this country honest. Labour says that what it says goes regardless—that it will abuse its powers. Whether it is with regard to the Electricity Commission to electoral law to speeding motorcades or to forged paintings this Government believes it is above the law. It is time New Zealanders stood up and said: “Enough is enough!”. Why do we have in a sector as important as the electricity sector the Government trampling all over the independence of the Electricity Commission? That is a disgrace. This Government is rotten to the core.