Mallard Trevor: General Debate 
Mallard Trevor: General Debate 
[Volume:620;Page:15888] 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 I think it is fair to say that we on this side of the House find ourselves in agreement with a large part of the focus of the speech made by the member for Tauranga. I think there is an amount of fraud going on in this House. Someone is collecting the salary for the Leader of the Opposition and providing none. He turns up every now and again for an hour. He trembles at the knees on the odd occasion that he asks a question—the papers shake in his hands. He learns from that and so does everyone else. We get reports from all over the place on that. We get headlines like “Home or away Brash is losing it” and nothing could be more right than that. 
Hon Member 
: Third division NPC. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: From a position where every reasonable political commentator thought Dr Brash could be in the game at the end of the year he has let it just slip-slide away. He promised five speeches but gave one and a half. Did he follow up the half? No he did not. 
We have seen headlines like “Bumbling Brash loses plot”—again that is a really good summary. That is a reason why Winston Peters should be getting the salary of the Leader of the Opposition. I was previously of the opinion that at some stage National Party members would come to their senses and go on bended knees to Mr Peters to ask him to lead them. Given the situation they are in now and the trend in the polls as far as they are concerned I have to ask if they did why Winston Peters would say yes. It will head in his direction anyway as the National Party slip-slides away. 
In a headline Dr Brash stated: “I’ll quit as leader if we lose next election”. We all know when that will happen. What I am asking is why they are delaying it so much in this particular way. Another headline read: “Do-nothing National delays peak”. Well there are a few other people suggesting a few peaks should be delayed as well. I think there has been a recommendation of abstinence from some parts of the House around which I am sure there will be further discussion. [ 
Interruption 
] Does Mr Williamson know the story? It is a great story. I will share it with the member but probably not in the House at this particular point in time. I am sure that when I share the story with Mr Williamson my secret will be safe with him and with the Labour caucus. I think the secret will get around and that member will love it. 
What does one do when one is in trouble in politics? One does not hide and that is exactly what Don Brash is doing. He runs from the House part way through question time to hide. He went to Stewart Island spent most of the day there and said nothing. He hid on Stewart Island. I spent quite a lot of time during the latest adjournment reading headlines from provincial newspapers to try to see whether he was there somewhere. There was almost nothing. I am told he went to Southland for a day. We could read that in the paper. We could not see anything else about where Dr Brash went. I made some statements about studentships and some other relatively controversial topics in an area that Dr Brash had been addressing and the media went looking for him for comment. They could not find him. One of the things one has to learn to do if one is to succeed in politics—and I say this to the two potential leaders of the National Party sitting opposite me— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Georgina and Maurice! 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: No I think Georgina is going to be sensible and not run again. I was talking to Simon Power and John Key who will be contesting— 
Darren Hughes 
: The key to power. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The power to the key or the key to the power—it is a little bit hard to tell. They will be the two who will compete for the National Party leadership after the election.