Cosgrove Clayton: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCosgrove Clayton: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 12 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15881. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour): We have heard a number of speeches from our opponents such as Jami-Lee Ross Mr Auchinvole and the last one Paul Hutchison who used words like “integrity” and “respect” and who talked about what a lack of integrity and a lack of credibility others have. But it is really interesting I have got to say especially from Mr Jami-Lee Ross over there who talked about all sorts of things but forgot those two magical words “John Banks”. He forgot those two magical words “John Banks” and then the other two magical words “Peter Dunne”. They are the two piles that prop up this rotten Government—a Government and a Prime Minister who will say and do anything in order to cling to power.You have Peter Dunne who is the Maxwell Smart in intelligence and spy terms of Parliament. In fact Maxwell Smart would look a bit smarter than Mr Dunne given that if he leaked documents he would probably be able to cover his own tracks. This is a man in an indictment on Peter Dunne—[Interruption] No no this is serious. This is a man Peter Dunne who went quietly. He could not front up to the Prime Minister and went quietly. And because he went quietly by his own admission—having resigned—he admitted that he was unworthy to hold a ministerial warrant. He was unworthy and untrustworthy to hold a ministerial warrant because he resigned. Yet the Prime Ministera couple of months later when he thinks the heat is off—and we are talking about national security here. We are not talking about some peripheral offence; we are talking about breaching national security. But the Prime Minister is so desperate that he will bend any rule and break any moral authority he has because apparently Mr Dunne is now trustworthy. He is worthy to hold a ministerial warrant even though day after day in this House he cannot confirm or deny and he will not comment as to whether he was the leaker of the Kitteridge report on theGovernment Communications Security Bureau.I would have thought that in any Westminster Parliament that would be the test that would break a Minister and you would never get inside or outside a Cabinet if you could not say categorically that you had not leaked an intelligence security document to a journalist or any external person. In any other Westminster Parliament in the world I say to Mr Ross you are gone you are history you have no credibility and you have no integrity. But oh no the genius out the back of course has got amnesia.Then we move on to Mr Banks of course—the other rotten pile in this Government. Last night I saw Mr Banks supporting the tobacco lobby on the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill. I thought about this and I thought: “Let’s work this through.” Maybe if there had been a sort of political health warning on the plain brown paper bag that John Banks picked up with the cash in it that said: “This is political death to you Mr Banks. If you pick this up it is political death. This bag plain packaged as it is will be hazardous to your political health.” that might have helped old Johnny the Hon John Archibald Banks who now is facing the court after being convicted of two crimes before this—a criminal regardless—and he now goes to court for a third time. But we cannot go much into that.That Mr Ross is about integrity and credibility is it not? The two magic words “John Banks” and the two magic words “Peter Dunne”—eminent New Zealanders of course accused of exceptionally serious offences. One cannot lie straight in his bed because he cannot admit whether he did it or not but he is good enough to be in John Key’s Cabinet and the other—if you line John Banks up with Colin Craig it is lunar and lunatic. The mad the bad and the sad—that is what National relies on to prop up this Government. So let us not have any high-handed lectures from that mob over there about credibility and integrity Mr Ross unless you are prepared to get up and formally give us your opinion of your Cabinet colleagues Mr Banks and Mr Dunne.Jami-Lee Ross: Ask Mr Russel Norman.Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE:Ask Mr Dunne Mr Ross whether he did it or not. Did he do it or not? The man talks about corruption. That is a very very heavy word—a very very heavy word—to level in this House me old mate. Maybe you should go and ask John Banks about corruption and ask him why he is facing court action and then come back and give us a wee lecture young man about integrity and credibility because your Government that Government and the Prime Minister stand accused of being propped up by rotten piles.Then of course these guys talk about potential coalition partners on our side. Well I have got to tell you when I was overseas at Christmas I went to a place called Cape Canaveral. I did. I went there not because I believe that the earth is flat or round or whatever as Mr Craig was asked by Mary Wilson. He was asked that onRadio New Zealand National. I never thought I would hear a prospective politician have the indignity of having to face that question. Mary Wilson asked Mr Craig: “Do you believe that the world is round?” and he hesitated. He hesitated. I have got to say that that is a cracker going beyond of course the fact—I will have to pick this up after tea of course—that the man actually questions the moon landing. But after the dinner break I will present evidence that may help him.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: Before we rose for the dinner break I was recounting the wonderful speeches from certain members. They were interesting speeches in which National Party members talked about the credibility and integrity of their Government. I was rehearsing the fact that this Government is now propped up of course by two rotten piles: John Archibald Banks twice convicted in a court of law and up for a third strike; and of course the Maxwell Smart of Parliament who outsmarted himself Peter Dunne who cannot confirm whether or not he leaked national security secrets to a Fairfax journalist and who now resides back in Cabinet.Where I think I concluded just before the dinner break was saying that of course there has been a lot of talk about coalition partners and their veracity or lack of it. I have got to say that on a recent trip to the States I went to Cape Canaveral—I did. I have got to tell you that it is a very interesting place. I saw a number of the Apollo spacecrafts. I saw the space shuttle. I even saw the piece of kit that they are now putting together to head to Mars. I say to that Conservative Party leader and prospective coalition leader who is galvanised and pot-riveted to the National Party Colin Craig: “You’ve got to go there.” It reinforces that the moon landing did indeed take place.Hon Ruth Dyson: Did you see if he was there?Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: No he was not there but there was an astronaut there who was talking to some kids who did verify it. So I say to Colin Craig: “If you’re out there take a trip. Go and have a look.” He said you need evidence. This is the man who says he does not believe in unisex toilets—which begs the question around what one does at home—vapour trails and other conspiracies that are happening. This is the person of course whom the National Party has wrapped its arms round—a great person of credibility and integrity I would have thought. As I said before the dinner break he is the only politician or prospective politician in New Zealand whom Mary Wilson actually had to ask on national radio onCheckpoint: “Do you believe the Earth is round?”. Mr Craig hesitated.So this is the sort of quality human being whom this National Party has wrapped its arms round along with the two rotten rotting insect-ridden—in political terms—piles or apples that reside down the other end of the Chamber Mr Dunne and John Archibald Banks. So I do not want to hear any more lectures from that side about credibility and integrity because day after day in this House there will be questions to that Prime Minister. For instance Mr Dunne went quietly and resigned and by his own admission believed that he was unworthy and untrustworthy to hold a ministerial warrant but now the Prime Minister believes he is trustworthy but has failed to ask for an explanation as to why he leaked national security documents. Did he do it or did he not? The moral height bar for getting into Cabinet from the Prime Minister’s point of view is: “Don’t tell me whether you did it or not. I’ll just see no evil hear no evil and you’re back in.” Why? Because there is another little deal to save his political scalp and Mr Dunne’s in Ōhariu.I have got to say that when it comes to integrity and credibility those men and women over there take the biscuit whether it be the deal with Rio Tinto whether it be the deal with the casino whether it be ignoring in an arrogant way people in respect of the asset sales referendum or whether it be—as Maryan Street said tonight before the dinner break—the Prime Minister telling the Salvation Army basically that it should get a life get around a bit and see what is happening in the real world. I would bet London to a brick that the Salvation Army and Campbell Roberts the good people in that organisation who I think for beyond a century have been doing good work in the welfare area would be far more in touch with people than this Prime Minister. Let ushear another speech about credibility and integrity and the next one should talk about “Brown Bag Banks” and Peter Dunne.