Simich Clem: Television New Zealand Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Simich Clem: Television New Zealand Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3765] 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: We do not need to hear language like that. Whether that is a personal reflection or not does not matter. The member will withdraw that please. 
Hon MURRAY McCULLY 
: Can I simply say that I would be pleased to have some reassurance that the Minister in the chair— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I asked the member to withdraw. 
Hon MURRAY McCULLY 
: I withdraw. Can I seek some reassurance though from members who are better placed than I am in the Chamber that the Minister is indeed with us tonight because his inability to answer important questions in relation to previous clauses of this bill is a gross offence to this Committee. If the Minister does not want to get on his feet and answer questions he will find that we will keep on asking them. As a presiding officer Mr Chairman you know that when Ministers decide to show a flagrant disregard for the questions of the Committee the Chair has the remedy of simply letting the questions continue. I urge the Chair to consider that course at this early stage unless the Minister changes his attitude.  
I say in relation to clause 25 that the Minister is indeed lucky that the Committee has adopted the amendments proposed by him in respect of Part 2 because were it not for those changes the disclosures of directors’ fees that are required under clause 25 would be a matter of humongous embarrassment for him and for others. As Part 2 was originally cast of course there would have been a requirement as a result of clause 25 to disclose the directors’ fees being paid to Dr Armstrong as chairman of the parent company of the transmission company and of the television company. But as a result of the changes in Part 2 that will not be required. Dr Cullen of course had the foresight to see Dr Armstrong off the scene while the Prime Minister was out of the country—[ 
Interruption 
] Mr Maharey also wants the credit for that himself. If he wants to stand and give us an explanation of that I would be very happy to shower compliments upon him as a consequence. I simply say that the Government is fortunate that those disclosures will not be required as a result of clause 25 on top of the disclosures of Dr Armstrong’s other emoluments in relation to Industrial Research New Zealand Post Kiwibank and everything else that he was serving on without mentioning the public-private partnerships that he was in the process of setting up when he was seen off the public purse by Dr Cullen—and Mr Maharey says by him as well.  
Clause 26 as Katherine Rich has told the Committee deals with the requirement for qualitative and quantitative research. This Minister in the chair is also the Minister responsible for Radio New Zealand. He will know that in relation to the qualitative and quantitative research required of that organisation it will not release that. That organisation will not do that.  
I then look at clause 29 which talks about sensitive information being protected from disclosure and see it states that the test is that if one would not have to release information like that under the Official Information Act then these entities will not have to release it either. I have not seen a provision like that in the law before and maybe the Minister—[ 
Interruption 
] Mr Hughes is trying to interject. Does he know whether there is such a provision? Has he seen a provision like clause 27 in the law anywhere else? I doubt whether he has ever read a statute book so I do not know whether he can give the Committee a very informative answer. But maybe the Minister in the chair knows about that because that is a most unusual provision. It states that as long as TVNZ or BCL in its new guise forms the view that the Ombudsman would not require release of information under the Official Information Act then it does not have to disclose it. That is a remarkable secrecy provision in this bill. The Minister in the chair as the Minister responsible for Radio New Zealand knows that that organisation refuses to divulge to members of Parliament its qualitative and quantitative research.