Peters WinstonRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First): Mr Speaker there—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Madam—it's Madam and I call the Rt Hon Winston Peters. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh Madam Deputy Speaker thank you. There can be few past occasions when this Parliament has been treated to such cant and pious bull dust particularly from that member there—Nick Smith—who stood in this House and told Parliament that he had made a disclosure to the person responsible for MPs' pecuniary interests. That statement of course was not true and he still has not shown Parliament the evidence for the statement he made about that. His record is to have been a deputy leader of the National Party for—guess how long? He was a deputy leader of the National Party for two weeks. But here's my evidence. Go and ask Maurice Williamson—Hon Tim Macindoe: Another personal attack.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: That member can shout at the top of his voice but I'll make a difference between me and that member there—DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order! Sit down. Now I think we should all calm down and I'd ask the member who has the floor to please address the bill.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: This is a third reading Madam Deputy Speaker and it's about what went on before. I know what a third reading's about.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Look I'm sorry but you do not argue with the Chair. I have asked you to address the bill—would you come to the bill. It is a third reading.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: It is a third reading and it's about the matters that were dealt with before and I'm getting to the principle that's at stake here which is this: if a member of Parliament disagrees with his or her caucus then they should resign and put it on the line in a by-election. And guess who did that? I did. So I'm not asking somebody to do something different. No I'm the one person in all those years that did it and then went on to the next election with a full mandate. What this man suggests we do is that people carry on regardless of what the voters said and regard themselves as the person in which the trust of the whole electorate is reposed even though they're not on the same ticket. And he gets up here drooping and dripping with so-called sincerity about how he's so ashamed. Ask Maurice Williamson.Hon Maggie Barry: As opposed to slobbering and shouting like that member.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Now Myrtle Rust" can make all the noise she likes. Oh Mr Williamson knows as I know that the person who was the baggage man leading the charge to get Maurice expelled was—guess who?Hon Members: Who's that?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Oh that man of integrity called Nick Smith. I know this man's form.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. The Standing Orders are very clear—DEPUTY SPEAKER: They are clear.Hon Dr Nick Smith: —and that is when a member has given a personal explanation which I gave when the Prime Minister previously made this false accusation and it should stand.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes and it does stand. The member knows and he's been here long enough that a personal explanation—Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Why don't I get Maurice Williamson to be my witness then?DEPUTY SPEAKER: Are you asking—Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Madam Deputy Speaker why don't I get Maurice Williamson to be my witness?DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'm sorry I have to ask the member who has the floor to speak to focus on the bill and he knows full well that the Standing Orders prevent him from raising an issue that has had a personal explanation. So will the member just resume his speech.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: What Mr Smith is arguing for is that a candidate stand on a list that is supported by the political party and that candidate's colleagues get to Parliament and please themselves what they do and all of a sudden have the whole trust of the electorate in an MMP environment reposed in that recalcitrant member. Everybody knows that under this bill it's about MMP and if the public vote a party 20 percent of the vote then that party is under our law entitled to have 20 percent of the representation in Parliament.That's what the law says but not Mr Smith. He says "Oh no we can make that 15 just by the unilateral actions unsanctioned by the electorate of MPs." Mr Smith is so beleaguered now that going on from the first reading the committee stage and the second reading and every other time in this bill he can't even keep his mouth closed for 10 minutes because he's still trying to make out a failed argument. Shouting won't change it. Shouting won't change it. Mr Smith the difference between Winston Peters and a man called Smith is that I have the respect of the public because I resigned. I resigned and had a by-election.Hon Maggie Barry: Smith has integrity; that member's a stranger to it.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: What would that member know? The weed-eating specialist. The weed-eating specialist decides she's going to interpose and tell us what she knows about the matter. Can I just say that when I had a by-election on the question of representation Mr Smith and his colleagues never even turned up. No don't smile now; don't look away. Here's the test of what I'm saying: I put the principles behind our arguments behind this bill on the line and when I did the National Party never even turned up. That's why we got 90.28 percent of the vote which is still a record—just in case "Myrtle Rust" doesn't know that.Hon Member: Use her name; don't be disrespectful.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I did.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Could we come to the bill.Hon Maggie Barry: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I would imagine that the derogatory reference that the member who has just resumed his seat is making is directed at me. I take offence at it and ask that he withdraw and apologise.DEPUTY SPEAKER: The difficulty we have is that the member is assuming—because he didn't actually name the member that he was being derogatory about and there was quite a bit of insult being thrown around about a number of members. So look I would really like the member who has the floor to address the bill. This is the third reading and I ask him now—we have 5½ minutes to go—to please talk about the bill as it has emerged from the committee of the whole House.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The fundamental principle of this bill is that the electoral system in this country which is MMP is honoured and that's what I'm dealing with. I'm not going to be put off by all sorts of challenges as to whether it's relevant or not. The fundamental principle is: does MMP exist in this country with exactitude or can members of Parliament please themselves as to whether it stands or not? We passed this law on a choice in a referendum in 1992 and a final one in 1993. It's been going for 25 years and I'd expect people to understand the principles. It's fundamental to this bill. That's what I'm dealing with.But why would the National Party be so concerned about this issue? I'll tell you why it is. There are 45 members of Parliament who have left National in the last nine years. I would've thought they'd be grabbing this bill with both hands. I would have thought they'd be thinking this is their grateful sanctuary. Forty-five MPs—two pages—in the last nine years. A lot were kicked. A lot got the boot. Some got pushed. Some jumped because they realised that they were on their way. As a consequence we have these people making all sorts of statements. Now can I just say with sympathy to my Green colleagues this: do they not remember when two members of Parliament for the Green Party—Fitzsimons was the first one. Do you know who the second one was? Does my colleague remember that? Well I do. They signed a declaration to stay with The Alliance all the way to the next election. That's what they did and here we have people here saying that somehow I'm imposing this provision. That's false. The law that we are putting through today was a law that existed on our statute book at the start of this century. It was a law that existed on our statute book at the start of the century. There is nothing new about that. Now I can't remember back then of course Mr Nick Smith ranting and raving like he is today. I know that the National Party's a lost cause. The day you make your flag bearer Nick Smith you're lost.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Actually I'm not lost.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: You're seriously stuffed.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'm not lost. I know where I am.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Sorry not you Madam Deputy Speaker. The day a party makes some tired worn-out member of Parliament with such a specious political background—such a specious background—the flag bearer of the party they are desperately lost. Mr Smith has in the past told Parliament statements such as the pecuniary interest statement he made which has never ever been honoured. On the question for example of whether it is right for a member of Parliament to be asked to stand aside and go and face a by-election to seek their own mandate Mr Smith—when that was last put to him in the form of the Tauranga by-election on 17 April 1993 he and his party never even turned up. That's how strong and principled they are on this issue.There's something unique about New Zealand First in this context. Only two members of Parliament in the last half-century have ever had the decency to put it on the line in a by-election. I'm one and Tariana Turia is the other one and all the rest are high-minded hypocrisy—false crocodile tears. No principles whatsoever. The principle behind the third reading of this bill is whether or not proportionality under our system now 25 years old should be honoured by members of Parliament and be required to be honoured by members of Parliament.One last thing I want to say is about this allegation that it gives the leaders all the power in the world. This weekend this party is going to its annual conference—Hon Michael Woodhouse: In a phone booth.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: —for the 25th year and it'll be wall-to-wall—packed to the gunnels. The only people who have phone booth meetings are members like that former Minister over there who can't even get himself into the phone booth. Let me ask you a question: has anybody seen that member from Dunedin in an audience?Hon Member : No.DEPUTY SPEAKER: What does that have to do with the bill? Just remind me.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well what it has to do with the bill is this is a Parliament and if people want to interject they can stand a rejoinder.DEPUTY SPEAKER: They do.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: It's called abiding open democracy. That's what that's about. Back to my point.DEPUTY SPEAKER: But there are rules in this democracy so address the bill.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Can I just say this: the allegation that the leader has all the say is utter humbug. We go to our 25th-year celebration this weekend. Can I say that is the second-longest surviving political party in our country's history that has not changed its name—the second-longest in this country's history that hasn't changed its name—and we've gone for 25th years because we are a consultative democracy. We are a consultative democracy and my colleagues know they have more say in this party than they would in any other. That's why I commend this bill."