Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:633;Page:4831] 
2.  
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Justice 
: Is the Ministry of Justice undertaking any work on resolving the issues foreshadowed in the Auditor-General’s draft report on advertising from parliamentary funds; if so what is that work? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Justice 
: The Ministry of Justice has not seen the draft report but it is undertaking a wide range of work around electoral law. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: What work if any is the ministry undertaking on options for retrospective action to try to legitimise unlawful spending identified by the Auditor-General in his draft report on parliamentary funding on election campaigns and does any of that work involve amending provisions related to political corruption? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I am aware that the Ministry of Justice and Treasury have looked at ways in which validation might occur. Of course validation occurs every year. That member’s party validated for example $50 million of unlawful tourism expenditure in one year. 
Gordon Copeland 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I guess you will get used to this. I could not hear the latter part of the Minister’s answer to that question. I think it was an important answer that we in this part of the House would like actually to hear. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I was explaining that validation of appropriations actually happens annually as part of the annual financial review bill. Of course the members opposite are not paying back the money spent on their billboards nor have they paid back to the Exclusive Brethren the money it wasted. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I still could not hear the answer. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I agree. Would the Minister please have another go. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I will just briefly say that there is an annual financial review bill—[ 
Interruption 
]—that is the truth—that validates expenditure almost every year and that happened under the National Government. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: In that case will the Minister be proposing legislation to validate the non-payment of GST by the National Party on its campaign spending? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: No—  
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have not called the Minister. Members who ask questions are entitled to be heard; Ministers who answer questions are entitled to be heard. This House supports the notion of freedom of speech. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: No; that matter of course was not an appropriation. I understand that the National Party has now paid the GST. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: In respect of his answer to my supplementary question what specific items is the Ministry of Justice looking at that need validation and why? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: At this stage it is not clear that there are any of course as we are yet to have the final report of the Auditor-General. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is he aware of any advice from the former Chief Electoral Officer David Henry on the Labour Party’s decision to include the cost of the pledge card in its election expenses before the election and then after the election to withdraw that offer so avoiding a negative public statement from Mr Henry before the election; and does he think any other body believes there is confusion about election expenses and corrupt practices? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I assume other bodies do because the National Party has paid back some money that it thought it had spent legitimately in the first place. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Has the Minister of Justice seen this paper from the then Chief Electoral Officer David Henry which was produced following a meeting with the police to discuss Labour’s election spending and the decision of the police not to charge Labour with corrupt practice because the police thought there was confusion about election-spending rules; if so has he read that Mr Henry told the police that the relevant legal provisions were clear that they had been discussed with party administrators before the election and that the Chief Electoral Office had obtained Crown Law advice that confirmed Mr Henry’s repeated warnings to the Labour Party that its election spending needed to be declared? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I cannot speak for the Minister; I can speak only for myself. No I have not seen that piece of paper. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is he aware of any other Ministers or those who have the responsibilities of Ministers who have seen the letters from the former Chief Electoral Officer David Henry sent on 2 September to the Labour Party stating that the Helen Clark pledge card should be included as an election expense or Mr Henry’s letter of 12 September advising that the Helen Clark fold-out brochure should be included as an election expense; if so what action would he have expected honest Ministers to take to avoid their party committing a corrupt practice? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: No I am personally not aware of that. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Would he have any concerns if the former Chief Electoral Officer David Henry was invited to appear before the Justice and Electoral Committee during its inquiry into the 2005 general election considering that Mr Henry was the key public official who warned Labour twice before the election that its Helen Clark pledge card was an election expense and would he be concerned if Labour and Green MPs were blocking this whistleblower from coming before the select committee on the funding scandal? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: That is a matter for the select committee and its members.