Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
[Volume:648;Page:17558] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 I reflect with interest on Mr English’s speech where he posed the proposition that there were a number of challenges for the New Zealand economy. He challenged the Government on what it has been doing for the last couple of days. I put this challenge to him and also to “Old Jelly Back” who is not with us today: what is his answer to the challenges— 
Hon Bill English 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not know whom the member was referring to—it might even have been his New Zealand First coalition partners—but he is not allowed to refer to any member of Parliament in that way. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry; I have to say I was distracted at the time by the Clerk. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Speaking to the point of order I was referring to John Key doing flip-flops. I withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you. 
Hon Bill English 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The procedure is very clear. The member must withdraw and apologise and say nothing else. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member is absolutely right. The member will stand withdraw and apologise. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I withdraw and apologise. I think I did so before I was asked actually. I pose a couple of questions to Mr English. Mr English is very good at asking everybody in this House for explanations. So will he stand in this House and account for every donation in the Waitemata Trust and in all the other trusts? Oh no. The gelatine creeps down the spine. Will he answer that question? Will Mr Brownlee who has risen from his slumber in his seat tell the media now about every donation that was received and whether—to quote Mr English’s words because he does make a good point that we need to know what happened to those donations—those donations influenced any political decisions? We know as “Burger King” walks out of the Chamber— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No no no. The members knows that he cannot refer to the member in that way. 
CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I withdraw. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think that was extremely unkind. It was hurtful. I much prefer to be known as a single-man rent-a-crowd. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you for the humour Mr Brownlee but you know that was not a point of order. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I quote Mr English’s words when he said that we need to find out what political influence if any was gained from those donations. We know how Mr English’s accident compensation policy was formed at the last election and who influenced that. Will Mr English actually get up in the Chamber now—I challenge him to do that—to tell us about all the anonymous donations from the Waitemata Trust and from various sectors of the economy so that we can then make assumptions or presumptions or remove any perception that his policy at the last election may have been influenced? Oh no! He is mute; there is silence. 
If we look at the National members over the last couple of days we see that they have been obsessed with this issue. But if we ask them about their policy and how they if they were in Government would meet the challenges of the economy we know what happens. They get out the xerox machine. Asking that crew on the other side of the Chamber to come up with policy is a bit like asking a xerox machine to write a movie script. It cannot happen; it will xerox it off. If we look at all the things that National opposed whether it be KiwiSaver interest-free student loans KiwiRail superannuation—I remember a debate with Mr English who got up and railed against the inadequacy of New Zealand superannuation—you name it we see that they have all been adopted. The xerox machine has just rolled off and those policies have all been adopted. 
One has to ask where the depth is and where the background papers are that Colin James asks for. Where is the depth? Where are the new ideas as we face— 
Rodney Hide 
: Where’s the money? 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: That is the walking egg yolk. Do members remember old Ted Bovis from  
Hi-de-Hi! 
 He was the camp entertainment officer. We have Parliament’s own camp entertainment officer here. I have to say that that member is well suited to the colour yellow. I say no more. He is the man who got up yesterday and protested because he felt he had been threatened by another member— 
Hon Murray McCully 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I raise two points with you. Firstly the remarks I heard from the member on his feet that were directed at Mr Hide clearly suggested that the jacket he was wearing was in some way indicative of a lack of courage. You know Mr Assistant Speaker that under the Standing Orders that is not permissible. Secondly I draw your attention to the fact that this is the third offensive reference that this Minister has made in the course of this brief speech and it must be coming very close to the point where you Mr Assistant Speaker should be contemplating the terminating of that speech. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Speaking to the point of order I say with respect that Mr McCully can try to define in whatever terms he likes what he may have taken from what I said. What I did was identify the colour of Mr Hide’s jacket. Also I had a bit of a poke at Mr Hide because if he wants to interject on me he has to be able to hack it. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I listened to the remark and after reflection I let it pass. Any member of course is entitled to rise and make comment and that has been done. I noticed that Mr Hide let the remark pass as well. As long as those remarks will not lead to disorder the member may continue. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Just to make it perfectly clear I like the rest of the country—and indeed the Labour caucus—have never listened to this member so I have no idea— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: That is not a point of order Mr Hide. Those are the sorts of things that lead to disorder. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: There lies the fiscal genius who paid 1400 bucks for that jacket. I move on. I think that member wants to be a Minister of Finance one day; he cannot organise his own finances. 
I challenge the media and I challenge National members to front up and tell us what they would do. They have adopted damn near every policy that the Government has except of course its industrial relations policy which has gone down like a cup of the proverbial. 
Jill Pettis 
: ACC. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: And of course there is accident compensation. This is a cracker. National says that it will not privatise it but will introduce competition. Sorry? This is a health issue that all New Zealanders should be very very concerned about. Accident compensation that has been undermined by that crew will undermine people’s fundamental health protections if they have an accident. Members should not judge what I say to be a fact; they should judge what National did last time in terms of the deterioration of cover for lost and lonely people out there who may not be able to afford to get in straight away and who are provided for on a no-fault accident compensation system. National’s accident compensation policy is one of the more innovative policies it has come out with that does not copy us; we are opposed to it. That is about the only thing we can say for that crew. 
National obsesses about those issues as it tries to build a sort of mist around its inactivity and as it announces one or two pages of policy. I go back to what I think David Farrar said—no friend of the Labour Party but a so-called independent blogger who was a National Party researcher. He came out and said that National should release all the background papers. Well two things arise. If it ain’t got any background papers it is hollowed out there is nothing there and there are no new ideas—or else it is hiding something.