Brash Don: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brash Don: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:625;Page:20440] 
4.  
Dr DON BRASH (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: When she stated yesterday that: “It is a matter of judgment for the Prime Minister how I use information from official reports. By definition I cannot leak.” was she confirming that she was the source of the material to the  
Sunday Star-Times 
 asserting that commissioner Peter Doone said: “that won’t be necessary”; if not what was she telling the House? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 No. I was telling the House that it is a matter for my judgment how I use reports I have received. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Can she confirm that she is adopting the approach of former US President Richard Nixon who stated: “Well when the President does it that means it is not illegal.” and could this be the reason that her conduct was described by Fran O’Sullivan in this morning’s  
New Zealand Herald  
as “distinctly Nixonian”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I repeat it is my judgement how I use reports I receive and the same goes for other ministers. I would observe to the House that Mr Nixon’s philosophy has far more in common with that of the National Party. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: As the Prime Minister has put her judgment into the debate given that she said yesterday in response to a question on her treatment of Dover Samuels—when she passed on totally malicious and false information that did enormous damage to Mr Samuels—that we all make mistakes has she ever bothered to apologise publicly to him? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I cannot accept the assertions in that question but suffice it to say that Mr Samuels and I later came to an understanding and Mr Samuels was readmitted to the ministry—unlike Katherine Rich who is consigned to the outer circle. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Can the Prime Minister confirm the statements in the brief of evidence signed by Oskar Alley that she was the source for his story of 23 January 2000 that she read to him excerpts of the then confidential Robinson report and that having supplied the story she then gave Mr Alley a quote for publication to the effect that she had no comment; and can she tell the House whether this is the level of candour and frankness New Zealanders should expect of their Prime Minister? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I cannot confirm that I gave Mr Alley a quote of “no comment”. I repeat it is my judgement how I use information available to me. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Is it true that when the Prime Minister said that Dover Samuels could not remain in Cabinet while allegations were swirling about him she herself had passed on the allegations which were vicious malicious and without any evidence whatsoever as proven by a later inquiry; and does she not think now that she owes this man a public apology? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: It is a matter of public record that letters received by my office were forwarded to the police. As I said Mr Samuels is now a member of my ministry and I enjoy a very good working relationship with him. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does the Prime Minister believe that she is bound by the  
Cabinet Manual 
 and in particular by paragraph 3.19 which states amongst other things: “Ministers and officials should not disclose proposals likely to be considered at forthcoming meetings outside Cabinet approved consultation procedures.” or does she put herself as Prime Minister above the  
Cabinet Manual 
 and collective responsibility with her statement: “By definition I cannot leak.”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: It is a matter for my judgment how I use information that is available to me. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Will the Prime Minister confirm the report in today’s issue of  
Molesworth & Featherston 
 that states that perhaps the  
Sunday Star-Times 
: “felt it had been misled so badly (and wilfully) by the Prime Minister that she could no longer rely on its assurances of confidentiality.”; if not what is her explanation for the decision of the Fairfax Group to threaten her with a subpoena? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I could not substantiate that at all. I think the member should substantiate the giving of those briefs of evidence to him which he would not answer on  
Morning Report 
 this morning.  
Rodney Hide 
: If the Prime Minister believes that she did no wrong in reading out parts of Rob Robinson’s report and parts of the Police Complaints Authority report to the reporter and that she can put out information at her discretion why did she work so hard to keep that fact from public knowledge and in particular require the newspaper to report that she had no comment? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I repeat that it was a judgment I made at the time to make information available. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. My question was not about the Prime Minister making a judgment on whether to leak it—because I know that by definition she now thinks she cannot leak—my question was given that she has told the country that she can leak at her judgment why did she feel the need to keep it secret and to work so hard to keep it secret? The Prime Minister never addressed that question one bit. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Prime Minister did address the question. She may not have addressed it in the way the member wanted but it was addressed.