Robertson GrantGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central): When the Prime Minister was elected into the office 8 years ago he stood up and said to New Zealanders: I expect high standards from my Ministers. If they don't meet those standards then I will set about doing something about that." Well today in the House we have seen the impact of 8 years of John Key's standards. We have a Minister of the Crown who believes that the fact that he escaped the Crimes Act definition of corruption means that he is doing his job well for New Zealand. That is the standard of John Key's Government today: if you avoid actually committing a crime you are doing a good job. That is how low it has got under this Government.Today's report from the Auditor-General on the Saudi Arabia Food Security Partnership is actually in many ways—because most of the House will know that the Auditor-General is finishing in her role towards the end of her report today—is sending a message to the Government. She is talking about transparency. She is saying in the report: "I have had more and more complaints coming about corruption." She is saying that transparency matters. To the members on the other side of the House: today we heard Bill English say we are best in the world for ease of doing business—good-o we have gone up one spot there.Todd Muller: Most transparent country and Government.GRANT ROBERTSON: We have gone down in Transparency International rankings Mr Muller. We have gone down under the National Government because of the attitude of John Key and his Ministers to the way they go about their work. Here is what the Auditor-General had to say about Skycity the Government's deal with Skycity on the Convention Centre: "a range of deficiencies …" "[did] not consider that the evaluation process was transparent or even-handed." "meetings [with Skycity and the Government] … were materially different in quantity and kind [from the Government and other parties]" "[it was] poorly planned and executed." "[their processes] fell short of good practice …" "[there was a lack of] fairness and credibility of the process." It is a pattern of behaviour because today we have another report that tells us that the Government once again has failed the basic standards of Government: to be fair to be transparent and to be even-handed.There is a different definition of corruption—not the legal definition but one that I think many New Zealanders would attest to—that corruption is a dishonest action that destroys people's trust. It is a dishonest action that destroys people's trust. The dishonest action that is in here lies at the feet of Murray McCully and the Cabinet paper that he put up because in that Cabinet paper he did not tell the truth to his colleagues and he did not tell the truth to New Zealanders. What he said in that Cabinet paper was that there was some great legal risk out there and on page 39—since Mr McCully is very keen for all New Zealanders to read all of the report—of the Auditor-General's report today said: "… we did not find evidence of officials' real analysis of other options. We also did not find evidence of Ministers or officials requesting or receiving internal or external legal advice on the extent of a risk of a claim of compensation from the Al Khalaf Group …".There was no legal problem here. Mr McCully was solving a personal grievance that he thought might do something for New Zealand—goodness knows what because nothing has actually been achieved at the end of the day.Hon David Parker: To facilitate the free-trade agreement.GRANT ROBERTSON: Exactly to facilitate a free-trade agreement—a personal grievance to solve a diplomatic problem. And again as the Auditor-General says in her report: "I was surprised that it was decided to use a contract with a private individual's business interests to resolve a diplomatic issue between governments." There are a lot of words to use about this operation by Murray McCully—secretive incompetent cavalier immoral irresponsible dodgy—but it is just plain wrong and this out-of-touch Government does not understand that $11.5 million is not its money to play with. That money could build 31 State houses. That money could give hundreds of hours of special education support. That money could lift children out of poverty. It is not the Government's plaything. Its arrogance that it gets to do whatever it wants whether it is a deal with Skycity or a deal with Mr Al Ali Khalaf is out of control. John Key told New Zealanders there would be high standards under his ministry but all we have had is a record of incompetence and corruption in my words. Maybe it does not meet the Crimes Act level of corruption but I think most New Zealanders will see this dodgy deal for what it is."