Goudie Sandra: Broadcasting Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Goudie Sandra: Broadcasting Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:641;Page:11670] 
SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel) 
: 
 I would just like to take up from where the previous speaker left off. I think his name is Martin Gallagher. What did he say? He said: “I join with her.” and he was talking about the Hon Georgina te Heuheu from the National benches. Clearly he is feeling the pressure of being part of this Government and already he wants to jump ship. Well we have news for him! 
I too would like to extend my congratulations to my most excellent colleague the Hon Georgina te Heuheu. In spite of what the member Martin Gallagher said we have some contrary views here. Experts are saying that Labour’s broadcasting policy is in tatters with Steve Maharey failing to front up to the public. So why under Steve Maharey’s stewardship of Television New Zealand (TVNZ) are 160 people being laid off and why are experienced news staff expressing serious doubts about the quality of news and current affairs? 
This is a huge bill of about three pages which again is really indicative of this Government’s failing position. It is bereft of ideas bereft of initiatives and bereft of policy. Its members are constantly hammering us for policy because they have no ideas of their own. They have no ideas of their own so they come out with a bill that is tantamount to about three pages in length. 
Let us look at those three pages. I note that clause 9 “Commission to have regard to Government policy” amends in subclause (2) section 44(2)(b) by omitting the words “current affairs programmes” and substituting the words “any current affairs programme or content”. The commission is to “have regard to Government policy” and “any current affairs programme or content”. So now the commission has to have regard to the Government’s policy on content. I just wonder what that will really mean for us in the future given the very sound words from my most honourable colleague Georgina te Heuheu who talked about Maori programming in relation to programmes such as  
Police Ten 7 Dancing with the Stars  
and  
Game of Two Halves 
. 
When we look at that one clause we then have to start thinking seriously about what the Government’s policy is. Is it going to be robust? That is another area where Steve Maharey has absolutely failed. He is saying that the charter is under review. Well we know that there are plenty of reviews going on currently because all that this Government can do is to have review after review. I do not know how many documents are out there in the public forum for consultation. I read another one just recently that said: “Carers tell us what you need and what works.” Hello! How many times have carers been asked that question? If we look at how many documents are out there for public input under this Government we will see that they cover just about every single subject one can think of. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: The public are fed up. 
SANDRA GOUDIE 
: The public are absolutely fed up. They do not want more of this sort of thing but this bill is the best the Government can do. It has no charter yet because that is under review. The Government has no policy in regard to that issue. Mr Maharey is not moving that forward. 
This Government has brought in this three-page bill and clause 9(2) will amend section 44(2)(b) and substitute the words: “any current affairs programme or content”. Therefore content has to be considered by the Broadcasting Commission in light of Government policy. But how can that happen if the Government does not have any policy? That is bizarre in the extreme. 
The member Martin Gallagher claimed that everything was all sweet and rosy at TVNZ despite the launch of digital television. I have to say it is great that New Zealand may be keeping up with technology but I am sure that technology will have moved on by the time we catch up. That is just the nature of these things. All the Minister said about redundancies—the 160 people being laid off—was that it is an “employment issue”. He has refused to front up on that issue even though he and Labour have made some very strong statements about the quality of television at the State broadcaster and its responsibilities to regional New Zealand. On the one hand we have Martin Gallagher saying everything is fantastic at TVNZ and what a wonderful job it is doing and on the other hand the Government has made some very strong statements about the quality of television at the State broadcaster and its responsibilities to regional New Zealand. 
Martin Gallagher said I was pooh-poohing the proposals in the bill. No we are supporting the bill such as it is. However we understand that the Minister gets things wrong sometimes. When Martin Gallagher said he would love to join with her he was referring to the Hon Georgina te Heuheu. It is starting to look as though he wants to be on this side of the House rather than the other side. This is the sort of pressure that the Government is under and we are left with this sort of bill—three pages pretty much. 
I read the definition of “content” in clause 4 because at times we have to come back to the actual content of the bill. That is really quite important and I am sure all members would agree. In relation to transmitting on demand content means programmes visual images that consist predominantly of alphanumeric text and so on. Do members know what that is? I do; I looked it up. It means alphabet and numbers! 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: You had to look that up? 
SANDRA GOUDIE 
: I did and I am not ashamed of the fact. I love using a dictionary because the English language is absolutely important. Alphanumeric means alphabet and numbers. So will we be seeing more of the alphabet and numbers on television? That is content and that is what the bill states in relation to transmitting on demand. Content also means “software intended to—(i) inform enlighten or entertain; or (ii) promote the interests of any person; or (iii) promote any product or service”. 
In that sense perhaps we will get to see a little bit more of Mike Moore. That would be interesting! He could become a star in his own right. I think he could command a whole programme—a series if you like. It could be written produced and performed by Mike Moore. That would be fantastic. We could do with a sequel. His comments have been most amusing for many New Zealanders lately and very entertaining. 
I am interested in the words “predominantly of alphanumeric text”. That means that the alphabet and numbers will take predominance over other visual content. I thought that was very interesting. I am sure all these matters will be considered by the Commerce Committee in depth. I am sure it will give close scrutiny to those phrases and the real intent of the bill. The smallest details can often contain the most serious consequences in terms of change. 
I would like to mention the Television New Zealand charter where confusion reigns. The chief executive officer and the political masters are constantly at odds which really flies in the face of the sorts of proclamations being made by Martin Gallagher. I would be concerned that the New Zealand public are being misled on that score. If Dr Cullen does not think that  
Dancing with the Stars 
 is charter programming but TVNZ thinks it is then what confidence can the public have in any of the charter statistics that are bandied about from time to time by Labour? It behoves us all to keep a very close eye on this three-page Broadcasting Amendment Bill; it is a very serious matter. National will support the bill going to the select committee.