Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Advance Copy - Subject to minor change before inclusion in Bound Volume.] 
3. 
DAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by all statements made by him and on his behalf? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I stand by all statements made by me and those people authorised by me to speak on my behalf. 
David Shearer 
: Does he stand by his statement that people gambling in a casino are “in a better environment than say attached to maybe a pub”; if so what evidence does he have to support that statement? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I most certainly do stand by that statement. Let me quote a few things for the member’s education. For a start-off an Australian professor from the University of Adelaide said the National Association for Gambling Studies conference in 2008 considered Skycity’s host responsibility programme as probably the most advanced in the world. If one looks at the number of people presenting themselves for harm on average that is around 1.9 percent of people yet those who are presenting themselves for harm in non-casino environments are 3.8 percent. If one looks at those presenting themselves for gambling treatment the majority cite non-casino gaming machines as their primary source of problems. 
David Shearer 
: Why is he proposing the creation of $23 million to $28 million a year of private wealth through an increase in gambling over what would otherwise occur when all the evidence shows that this will cause harm for thousands of New Zealanders? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Firstly I would utterly reject the number that the member is quoting. Secondly I think it is worth having a bit of a look at gambling machines. Let us just take a look at pokie machines in the Auckland area. In 2004 that number in the Auckland area was 5111; today that is 4227. The number is as the member can see in the order of around 900 fewer and will continue to go lower even if a deal is done with Skycity over time. 
David Shearer 
: I seek leave to table a document by Goldman Sachs on 23 March that sets out clearly that the amount of funds that Skycity will earn from the gambling bill will be between $23 million and $28 million.  
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
David Shearer 
: Is he aware that Goldman Sachs has estimated—and obviously he is not—that Skycity would make $23 million to $28 million a year of additional profit from the increase in the number of pokie machines; if so does he regard this and his changes to the Gambling Act as legislation for sale? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: In terms of the latter point no. In terms of the first point the member answered his own question earlier when he said that that is Goldman Sachs’ assessment. If one goes and has a look at the—[ 
Interruption 
] Well the deal actually has not been concluded yet. I might add when we were out announcing that we were doing a deal with Len Brown in Auckland he was quite a little lamb chops before the election because Len Brown knew as well that it will create 1000 jobs in its construction 900 jobs ongoing hundreds of thousands of visitor nights for a convention centre and tourists who will be spending twice as much in New Zealand. And by the way the number of gaming machines is going down not up. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I want to hear this question. 
David Shearer 
: Does he stand by his statement about the ACC Minister that he “directly asked her the question on two occasions” as to whether the leak of the email sent by Michelle Boag came from the Minister her office or an agency she was responsible for; and what occurred after the Minister’s first denial that required him to ask her a second time? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes and that was because we had two conversations in which both times actually the Minister offered that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! It is just impossible to hear. I accept that both sides have been guilty of a lot of noise today but it makes it so hard to hear. 
David Shearer 
: Further to the answer given on his behalf last Thursday did his office contact Cameron Slater on the question of the leak of the Boag letter? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No it did not. 
David Shearer 
: Did he chair the Cabinet appointments and honours committee that appointed his Helensville electorate chair Stephen McElrea to the board of New Zealand On Air? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes and it was the same one that appointed Michael Cullen to New Zealand Post. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The smaller parties at the back are not guilty in any way in this; it is the main parties at the front here whose noise is unacceptable. 
David Shearer 
: Did he at any time last year indicate to the receivers or the ANZ Bank that the sale of the Crafar farms to Shanghai Pengxin would be considered favourably by his Government after last year’s election? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I had not even called the right honourable Prime Minister. The question asked whether the Prime Minister stood by all his statements or those made on his behalf and then the supplementary questions are ranging over a range of issues that are not necessarily—order! I want to make sure they do not depart too far from the primary question. 
David Shearer 
: Does he think that the interference of senior National Party members in all of these incidents leads to a perception of political interference special treatment or cronyism? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! What troubles me about that supplementary question is the primary question asked about recent statements but that supplementary question does not refer to any particular statement. The question—unless I am reading the wrong question—asked: “Does he stand by all statements made by him and on his behalf?” and several supplementary questions have not referred to any statement made by the right honourable Prime Minister. I listened very carefully to that last question. I heard no reference to a statement made by the Prime Minister. I do not want to deprive the member of his questions so if the member can relate it to a statement by the Prime Minister I would be very grateful. Please relate the question to the primary question. 
David Shearer 
: Do his answers to the supplementary questions relate to a sense of the incidence of—a perception of—political interference special treatment and cronyism? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No and that is why the New Zealand public support this National Government so strongly.