Prasad Rajen: Duties of Statutory Officers (Census and Other Remedial Provisions) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Prasad Rajen: Duties of Statutory Officers (Census and Other Remedial Provisions) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:675;Page:20830] 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD (Labour) 
: 
 That was quite an arrogant statement from the previous speaker John Hayes—that we have just spent 2 hours doing nothing. National members have been sitting here since the Duties of Statutory Officers (Census and Other Remedial Provisions) Bill was introduced and they are the ones who have treated this House with contempt absolute contempt. Reasonable questions have been asked. National members have not been able to see through a very simple bill and answer the kinds of questions that one would logically ask because there is an opportunity to ask them. In fact National members have come to the House with a proposal and expected us to simply rubber stamp it just because they say so and as if we have no right to ask questions or to have those questions answered. In fact National members have simply taken meaningless calls that last a few seconds. One call was barely two sentences long. 
Simon Bridges 
: This man was born in the first census. 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: That is absolute contempt I say to Mr Bridges. If the member felt strongly about anything he would rise take a call and make his point but there are no points to make. The census is an important activity and we should take it seriously. We should take the opportunity with every clause in every bill that comes to the House to look through it to look beyond it and to ask questions. We expect to have those questions answered. Those things become even more important when there is no select committee process. But no members opposite simply thought that this would be a simple process. They rammed it through under urgency and we are supposed to sit here like I do not know what. I simply say that. 
The Minister in the chair the Minister of Statistics began to simply treat us with contempt. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Be nice. 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: I am normally very nice to the Minister but on this occasion he either did not have the answers or refused to give them to us. Very sensible questions have been put forward by Charles Chauvel this evening—very sensible questions—and they have not been answered. 
I will tell members that the heart of contempt was this: Maurice Williamson knew the reason for the second part of this bill. The Minister knew the reason. It would have been reasonable to tell the House that we have an issue—a delegation is not there or a person is going overseas—and we need to have that provision put in place. But that had to be dragged out of him by Charles Chauvel through questions. The Minister defended himself by saying it was not in his notes. That should have been in the first reading speech and that should have happened but it did not. 
We are not happy with the process this bill has gone through. We blame the other side. National is responsible for the process and it should have run this thing far better than it did. All National members wanted to say to us was that they were disappointed that we were asking questions. 
Hon Simon Power 
: Not angry just disappointed. 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: Well it was stronger than that I say to Mr Power which he would know if he had been here. Actually Mr Power has been here most of the evening so he knows the kinds of questions I am posing. There is contempt from members on the other side. They have not really done their job on this particular bill. Lianne Dalziel and Charles Chauvel have asked very reasonable questions. Those questions should have been answered. 
But the biggest disappointment is that we have not had the opportunity to think through what a census would look like in the modern world and to have a select committee process that would have given us the answers. It was contemptuous not to take that opportunity and it is highly objectionable when National members stand up and say that members on this side of the House are doing the kinds of things they said we are doing. Thank you.