Carter John: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Carter John: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5415] 
JOHN CARTER (NZ National—Northland) 
: 
 The Committee will be interested to know that earlier today I was walking down the corridor from the Chamber to go back up to my office and I happened to bump into Mark Peck— 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: What was he doing in our corridor? 
JOHN CARTER 
: No he was just walking out of the Chamber. We got talking about the business of the day and I said: “We’ll be here late tonight.” He said: “Really? Why what’s going on?”. I said: “Well there’s going to be a bit of extraordinary urgency.” He said: “What urgency?”. I said: “No no extraordinary urgency.” He said: “Really? What’s that about then?”. I said: “I don’t know Mark but to the best of my knowledge it is to do with some customs or alcohol tax.” He said: “Really? Well you know more than I do.” I said: “Well that’s no surprise.” 
But the point is—[ 
Interruption 
] The senior Government whip is chipping away again. The point is that what worried me about that conversation was that it made me wonder how many of the Labour caucus actually knew what was going on. When we look across at the faces on that side of the Chamber as we go through this debate we see they are looking slam-dunked. They are looking as though someone has pulled the wool right over their eyes. In fact I would wager a bet that most members on the Government side of the Chamber had not been informed. 
Indeed any of them who were informed would have been told the same cock and bull story that we were told at the briefing we had earlier today. We heard this nice namby-pamby story that this legislation will help the youth of this nation that it will save them from the evils of drink that it will create an environment where they will be pure that we will not have to worry any more that they might overindulge at some sort of alcohol-participation party somewhere because the cost of the alcohol will be so great that they will not be able to afford it any more and that Jim Anderton will feel better because he is the one who introduced the measure and misled this country and this Parliament. 
If we look at this bill we see that its purpose clause should state: “This is an example of Labour Government policy.” because it is typical of Labour members to try to pull the wool over everybody’s eyes to mislead. It is sneaky cunning sly dirty— 
John Key 
: It’s dumb! 
JOHN CARTER 
: Absolutely; it is just another dopey piece of legislation but it is also sneaky sneaky sneaky. Government members come in here telling us one thing but as with all the things they do there is another purpose. Finally they get found out. This time they happened to get found out quicker than they thought they would. This time they were found out within about half an hour or an hour. The public will know that they have endeavoured to come to this Chamber and mislead Parliament and the nation. 
I say to the Minister in the chair Mr Anderton that it is a disgrace. He should be ashamed to be sitting in the chair without taking a call after he tried to mislead the House with his address. It is an absolute disgrace that he can sit there without taking a call with a smug smile on his face and say that it is OK but he will not respond to decent questions or explain himself. I say to him that in my time in Parliament this is one of the worst examples of a Minister who has absolutely gone out of his way to perpetrate something on this nation that should not be happening. The Minister is responsible for that along with the other members who are supporting him. It is a disgrace and all of you should be ashamed of yourselves quite honestly. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Do not bring the Chair into the debate please. 
JOHN CARTER 
: The members on the Labour side should be ashamed Mr Chairperson and so too should the other parties that are supporting this bill. I say to the United Future party and to the Green Party—to Rod Donald and Paul Adams who have spoken or are about to speak on this bill—that maybe they too were misled. Maybe they were. Maybe they were fooled by the disgraceful conduct of this Minister and this Labour Government; if so they have a chance to change it and stop this from happening. I have to say that this is the worst case that I can think of for some time.