Mark Ron: Electoral Finance Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Mark Ron: Electoral Finance Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:644;Page:13547] 
RON MARK (NZ First) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to take my first call in this debate. I have spent most of my time watching it on the television and chuckling—at best chuckling and laughing but at worst shaking my head in absolute disbelief at some of the things I heard. I heard for example Judith Collins saying: “We don’t want our candidates to know where the money came from.” and “I don’t want to know.” Whatever! We could chisel that one on the side of Parliament Buildings and no one in the country would believe it. 
I want to give those National members of Parliament who are sitting here right now an opportunity. I ask the ones who are sitting here right now whether they received a donation for their campaign funds from the local branch of the Exclusive Brethren. Chris Tremain? No. Lindsay Tisch? He will not answer me. Kate Wilkinson? 
Kate Wilkinson 
: No. 
RON MARK 
: They did not give the member any money in Rangiora? 
Kate Wilkinson 
: No. 
RON MARK 
: None at all? 
Kate Wilkinson 
: No. 
RON MARK 
: Well there we go. They have no qualms whatsoever in giving us an answer here so what is the big deal about fulfilling the requirements of clause 24? What is the big deal? 
R Doug Woolerton 
: Not a problem. 
RON MARK 
: It is not a problem. A lot of us down in Christchurch want to know from Nicky Wagner whether she received money from the Brethren to fight against Tim Barnett in Christchurch Central. Hello? No answer! Well there we go. She might not want to give us an answer in the House today as to whether she got any help from the Brethren in fighting Tim Barnett but this clause is eminently sensible and it does not seem to pose a problem for Kate Wilkinson and Chris Tremain. It is interesting that Lindsay Tisch would not answer is it not? But clause 24 does not seem to pose a problem for those people so any of the arguments that have been put up so far are spurious nonsense. 
I have heard the argument from Mr Nick Smith that MPs spend $64000 on promoting themselves. That is what he said. Well I say: “Shame on Nick Smith!” He should resign his portfolio and get the hell out of this House because he is not doing the job he was sent here to do. For a start he is wrong—he has misled the House. Tau Henare does not get $64000 a year to promote himself even if he wanted to do that. He gets $40000 because he is a list MP. But of course Judith Collins made her views of list MPs very clear in this Chamber just a short moment ago when she denigrated them. Rather derogatory statements came out of her mouth which tends to be par for the course for Judith Collins. 
Let us be clear about one thing. We have heard a lot of criticism from National Party speakers about people who spend taxpayers’ money and we have heard a lot of questions about the jobs an MP does. What is the job description? Well let me ask National members why their leader gets $233000 of taxpayers’ money a year when other party leaders in this House get $139000. Why? You see Mr Key is listed as the Leader of the Opposition. Pray tell me what the heck is the “Leader of the Opposition”? He leads nobody except his own gaggle. He does not have meetings regularly with Rodney Hide Jeanette Fitzsimons Winston Peters or Peter Dunne. He does not lead the Maori Party. He does not lead the ACT party. He does not lead a united caucus of Opposition parties. But he sticks his hand out and takes an extra $100000 of taxpayers’ money—not that he needs it—and does not say boo. And he gets a limo to boot. There is all this criticism from National members about Ministers running around in big limousines but their own damn leader rides around in one. And he gets an extra $100000. 
Where is the job description for the Leader of the Opposition? There is none. There is nothing. Talk about getting money under false pretences! If he were employed out there in the street and rocked up to the boss saying “Hey I want to work for you as the leader of the gang.” the boss would look around and say “But you’re the only one in the working gang.” And if he then said “And I want an extra $100000 a year for it.” the boss would tell him to blow off. He would say: “Get outta here! You’re joking—go away!”. Well here he is and not only does he tout himself as the great Leader of the Opposition but he gets an extra $100000 a year over and above the salary for that job. Do we hear him telling the media that? Pray tell me what consultation does he do as the great Leader of the Opposition with all the other leaders of the Opposition that means he deserves another $100000 of taxpayers’ money every year? None! 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.