Jones Dail: Television New Zealand Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Jones Dail: Television New Zealand Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3750] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 If we could now switch over from the National programme to the New Zealand First programme I am afraid that I cannot be quite as amusing as the Hon Dr Lockwood Smith but I point out that New Zealand First is concerned—as has been expressed by members of this Committee—that this particular part of the bill sets up Television New Zealand and our television stations to be sold off to private enterprise so that New Zealand would lose control of its television service. That is what we are seeing here. It is totally in keeping with the policies of the Labour Party from 1984 until 1990 and the National Party from 1990 to 1999 but it is totally against the policy of New Zealand First.  
New Zealand First wants to make sure that New Zealand’s assets remain with New Zealanders and that no opportunity is given to any Government to have the easy right to sell off those assets. Of course if Television New Zealand were sold off to private enterprise New Zealand would have no television station. I would like to see New Zealand have a television station along the lines of—although not totally like—the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Of course the BBC in England is far too good to compare TVNZ with. We should always retain some ownership rights to television in New Zealand. Labour is setting up this legislation to enable that asset to be sold and it is supported by all those Labour members on the Government side of the Chamber who obviously do not support the public ownership of Television New Zealand. They are willing to run the risk that one day Helen Clark or Michael Cullen will walk into caucus and say the Government is short of money and after asking what the Government can flog off this time caucus will decide to flog off Television New Zealand. That is what this bill is set to do.  
In addition the bill has provisions regarding the charter. Clause 10(2)(a) on Supplementary Order Paper 57 has 10 subclauses stating what TVNZ would do under the charter and clause 10(2)(b) in that Supplementary Order Paper has another 14 subclauses stating what it must do. But in none of those measures is there any provision that Television New Zealand must have regard to family life. In keeping with the bill that I prepared in August last year—in support of the commission for the family—I am moving an amendment that in those various provisions there be a requirement that in the fulfilment of its objectives Television New Zealand will feature programming of a family nature that supports the family and the development of family life. United Future has taken a lot of credit for this legislation. In fact it seems to have taken all the credit for it even taking credit away from the Labour Party. If United Future members have any regard for the family one would think they would have insisted that such a provision be included in the bill. I will be looking very closely at how United Future votes on my amendment.  
New Zealand First will be supporting the amendment in the name of Sue Kedgley from the Greens in order to ensure that there will be a leading role to be played in New Zealand television by independent companies. We will be supporting her amendment to put the word “independent” before the words “New Zealand film and television industry”. We will support the United Future amendment with regard to violence. In particular we will support any code with provisions on violence that specifically has regard to the effect of violence on children and young persons because that is part of our philosophy of supporting the family. I spoke on that philosophy in this House as long ago as 1976. We will also support anything that ensures the level and nature of advertising to which children are exposed are kept to proper levels. We will support various other amendments because we want to take a broad-ranging approach to the charter and to make sure that all possible avenues are used in the charter to protect the New Zealand way of life.  
We would not support a situation that allows the Government to sell off this asset but in any event at least the Committee might support the amendments I have referred to especially if there is support from United Future. So far the bill has proceeded to the Commmittee stage mainly with the support of United Future and of the Labour Party. The Greens have been quite broad in their approach to the voting on this bill as one would expect on something that plays such a fundamental part as television in our life in New Zealand. I commend all the amendments to the Committee that will ensure decent standards for television and I look forward to the vote when it takes place.