Roy Heather: Urgent Debates — David Parker—Resignation from Executive 
Roy Heather: Urgent Debates — David Parker—Resignation from Executive 
[Volume:630;Page:1990] 
HEATHER ROY (Deputy Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I want to carry on in this urgent debate from where my parliamentary colleague Rodney Hide left off. Helen Clark left the media the public of New Zealand and this House in no doubt today as to where she stands in relation to matters such as those that arose yesterday and today with David Parker. There are important points of principle here that we should pay very serious attention to. The stance that Helen Clark has taken in trying to belittle what has happened—and that the Green Party speaker Jeanette Fitzsimons took when she stood and said we should get on with important parliamentary business when in fact we have a very important point of principle here today—is nothing short of selling New Zealanders short. 
Helen Clark tried to tell us that Mr Parker made a simple mistake. I think that he himself described it as cutting some corners. But there is much much more to this matter than that. This House agrees that David Parker has done the right thing in resigning firstly from the position as Attorney-General and later today from his other portfolios. That indeed is the right course of action because one thing that members of Parliament must have is integrity. They must be able to stand in this House and speak from a point of principle and with integrity. However what have we seen over the past 6½ years with this Government? We have actually seen a complete lack of integrity. Nine Labour Government Ministers have lost their ministerial positions because of a complete lack of integrity of various sorts with the misleading of both the media and this House the “paintergate” and motorcade incidents and the belittling of all those actions. In front of New Zealanders and this House there has been a complete lack of integrity. 
Not just this week but ever since the election this tired-looking Government’s position has not been one of “do as I do” but one of “do as I say”. There is one rule for the Labour side of the House and a completely different rule for the other side. This Government takes the position that we should do as it says not as it does. 
Twenty-four hours ago Helen Clark was backing David Parker saying that he had made a simple mistake. What he in fact did was make a false statutory declaration. As Attorney-General that was clearly an intolerable position for him to be in and he has done quite the right thing in resigning from that role. He misfiled an incorrect document under the Companies Act. We now know that a person found guilty of doing that can be punished with 5 years’ imprisonment or a $200000 fine. That clearly is intolerable and a full investigation must be undertaken. 
I ask members what they think would have happened had Mr Parker not resigned from his positions. Would the Prime Minister have continued to back him in the way she has backed other Ministers particularly Mr Benson-Pope? Would the police have found a prima facie case that again would have gone absolutely no further? 
New Zealanders want their politicians to come to this House and act with integrity to do the right thing and to get on—as the Green co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said—and debate the real issues. The problem is that over the last 6 years we have had so many issues in relation to Labour Government Ministers who have been given responsibilities for portfolios but who have acted without integrity. They have come before this House and they have not filled their positions honourably. They did not do what they should have done. New Zealanders who voted them in want them to come to this House to represent them with honour and integrity. Signing paintings saying you painted them yourself when you had not— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member is bringing the Speaker into the debate. 
HEATHER ROY 
: I apologise Mr Assistant Speaker. 
Acting in those ways and misleading the House and the media as Lianne Dalziel did is not what people expect of their politicians. It would be great if the Opposition could stand here and rather than having to hold Ministers to account instead hold the Government to account for its policy decisions and debate the real issues. The problem is that we have had nine Ministers who have not allowed the Opposition to do that. We cannot stand here and do our job by allowing Ministers in place who act with no integrity at all—[ 
Interruption 
] Those members over there might like to shout but that is just part of the Labour Party spin machine too is it not—to make as much noise as possible to divert attention from the real issue which is that of Ministers who cannot do their jobs properly because they lack integrity. There have been nine such incidents with Ministers in 6 years. One such incident could be considered unfortunate. Over a 6½ year period I suppose a loss of two or three Ministers might be considered unfortunate but nine Ministers? I would say that something is wrong with this tired Government when nine Ministers have fallen by the wayside. 
Prime Minister Helen Clark stands up and says that this Government is an honourable Government that it has integrity that it does its job and that it is acting in the best interests of New Zealanders. But this Government does one thing and tells New Zealanders to do the other. I do not think that the Prime Minister any longer has the moral authority to govern this country. Something is lacking when nine Ministers fall by the wayside. This is a tired Government that lacks integrity. What we need as a result of yesterday’s and today’s revelations—firstly by Ian Wishart then as things have come to light by others—is a full and thorough investigation into this matter so that we can get to the bottom of everything. This country needs to think very carefully about whether it has a Prime Minister and a Government that have the moral authority to govern properly—to govern this nation to lead it and to make policy decisions on behalf of New Zealanders. We need to think very carefully about that. 
Today’s issues are not just about making simple mistakes. This was not a little mistake; it was a serious error of judgment. It was made not once not twice but over a series of many years. David Parker has done the right thing in resigning from his positions. He took 2 days to come to the decision to resign from his other portfolios. But it raises much greater issues that New Zealanders need to consider carefully. We should be asking whether the Prime Minister has the moral authority to continue to govern. Do her Ministers have integrity? How many more cases do New Zealanders have to put up with before we can get to the real issues? People in this House keep talking about them but we are prevented from debating them properly because of other issues that should not get in the way but do.