Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Urgent Questions Questions to Members 
Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Urgent Questions Questions to Members 
[Volume:620;Page:16000] 
2.  
RON MARK (NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: What is her Government’s policy on initiating conducting and funding inquiries? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 The Government considers any possible inquiry on the basis of the circumstance and merits of each case. 
Ron Mark 
: When she said on  
Breakfast 
 yesterday in relation to the abuse claims at the Regular Force Cadet School: “You have very serious allegations ranging from murder to gang rape to violent assault.” was she aware that both I and MP Shane Ardern had brought the case of the Bain family and the shooting of their son cadet Grant Bain to the attention of her Minister of Defence in March 2002 who dismissed it by saying: “I am now satisfied that the matter has been dealt with as best it can be given that it is some 21 years since the tragic accident occurred.”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Over the last couple of weeks with the publicity from the gentleman in Western Australia some 85 people have come forward to the office of the Minister of Defence to express an opinion about what happened at the cadet school and I understand that the gentleman who initiated the publicity has probably received rather more contacts than that. That is cause given the range of allegations for the Government to take the step it took yesterday to move to set up an independent assessor. 
John Carter 
: Why did it take massive media coverage before the Government was prepared to take action on this issue when her Government was approached on this issue more than 2 years ago? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I seem to recall some comment I think from Marilyn Waring who said that she took it up in her time as a Government member of Parliament under a National Government. If members want to direct questions to the Minister of Defence they should do that but clearly the range of allegations in public at the present time requires the matter to be taken further. 
Ron Mark 
: Is it not a fact that allegations of abuse and ill-treatment of Regular Force cadets were made public on 7 October 1975 and that the Labour Government of that time saw no need for further investigations because the military had clearly stated that such things were not condoned and that “the senior cadets responsible had been charged and punished”? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I have not the slightest idea whether the matter was raised with the Government in 1975. It may well be that the Defence Force said as the member alleged that those things were not condoned. The point is that to some degree those things appear to have happened and now a great many people have come forward to express concern about the matter. That is why an independent assessor should be appointed to look at it. 
Ron Mark 
: Can the Prime Minister not understand the scepticism of people like the Bain family when it comes to her Government’s reluctance to move on some inquiries but seeming haste to move on others so aptly summed up by Tony Ellis who said: “You complain to the ombudsman he complains to Parliament that he cannot get a prompt and impartial investigation you go to the chief district court judge he says he is not resourced you then go to the High Court that takes months. If it’s soldiers at Waiouru you instantly get an inquiry but if it’s prisoners you can’t get anyone to do anything.”; does that not sum up this Government’s approach to independent inquiries? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The member will be well aware in respect of prisons that the Government at some expense is inquiring into the alleged behaviour of the “goon squad” at the prison in Christchurch. The Government will respond when it sees it as being appropriate and in the public interest. 
Peter Brown 
: Noting the Prime Minister’s answer to the principal question how does she suggest an inquiry is obtained into the  
Sydney Express 
- 
Maria Luisa 
 mishap—the shipping collision inside Wellington Harbour limits where five men died their families were denied an inquest or any formal public hearing the Transport Accident Investigation Commission and the Marine Safety Authority colluded inasmuch as evidence was passed secretly from one to the other and thus far it has not been made available to anyone else; how does the Prime Minister suggest we get a formal inquiry into that mishap and will she support such an inquiry? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: There were three questions there. Two can be commented on. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I will add that to the list I already have of the six formal inquiries New Zealand First has called for in the past year. 
Ron Mark 
: Can the Prime Minister enlighten the House as to why her Government if it is so concerned about charges and allegations of sexual abuse has not agreed to the ACT MP Deborah Coddington’s call for an inquiry into abuses at health camps which she has had all of the details of for quite sometime. 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I cannot say that I am aware myself of such a request. If the member would like to forward the information she has to the Government it can be considered.