Prebble Richard: Electoral (Vacancies) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Prebble Richard: Electoral (Vacancies) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:610;Page:7753] 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (Leader—ACT NZ) 
: 
 I rise to speak on clause 1 of this important constitutional measure which is going through under urgency and which is introducing retrospective changes. The public has not had an opportunity to discuss it. I hope that the Chair will recognise that fact. I give notice that the ACT party is putting down a series of amendments—firstly to the title but there will be others further through. We do not want the law to apply to ourselves. We pledge allegiance to this country and we do not want the ability to give allegiance to anyone else so I hope the House will allow ACT members of Parliament to be exempt. We looked at a number of other MPs who we think might be covered and I give notice to the Rt Hon Helen Clark Jim Sutton and other MPs that I have put down an amendment regarding each one of them and I challenge them to support my amendment to show that they give allegiance only to this country. 
Simon Power 
: Interesting tactic. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: Absolutely. Members might like to add some other people to the list. The rumours that are now going around regarding the real reason for this bill should be a matter of great concern to them. On the question of the title of the bill I think it is wrong. First I think we should just change the title to the “Elect Harry Duynhoven Bill” because that is what we are doing. That is a proper title; there is nothing frivolous about it. Alternatively I think the bill should be called the “Allow the Rt Hon Helen Clark to Have a Foreign Passport Bill” because that will be the effect of this bill. This bill will allow Helen Clark to have a foreign passport through her spouse so let us put that in the title. 
I challenge members opposite to vote for my amendments and to be upfront. What we are doing is saying as a Parliament that any member of Parliament can now give allegiance to any foreign power. On behalf of ACT New Zealand—that is our full title—I can say that we have no doubt about whom we support and I hope that members will at least allow ACT MPs to exempt themselves. We are quite happy to do that. We do not think this law is ambiguous; we think it is quite clear. We support the law and do not want to be exempt from it. If other parties do not want to be stained by the suggestion that they serve two masters I suggest that they should move amendments to exempt themselves. I challenge those MPs whom I have named to vote for my amendment to show that they have not taken out foreign passports and that they do not serve anyone else except the people of New Zealand. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Who paid them? 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: That is a very good question. Things are getting worse and worse. I just say to members that this is a serious bill and those are serious amendments. This is not a bill about electoral vacancies. As Mr Jones said we do not know of any vacancies. This is a bill to elect Harry Duynhoven so let us be upfront: that is what we are doing. That is the first proposal I am putting up. 
The second one is that this will allow an MP like the Prime Minister to have a British passport. Do we think that is right? [ 
Interruption 
] The member should support my amendments if she is shocked at the thought that we have a Prime Minister who may have a foreign passport—and one can imagine Helen Clark not wanting to queue up; I mean she is overseas so often. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: Have you got one? 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: I assure the member that I have never taken out a foreign passport as a member of this Parliament—never in my whole career. Can the member give me the same assurance about his colleagues? That is interesting—there is silence. Does the member not think that the Parliament and the public of New Zealand are entitled to an answer to my question? Mr Carter is silent on that too—talk about contempt! He is not even prepared to tell the public of New Zealand whether the Labour Party serves this country or some other country.