King Colin: Communications Legislation Bill — In Committee 
King Colin: Communications Legislation Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:634;Page:5596] 
COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 In speaking to Part 1 of the Communications Legislation Bill I can go forward on my colleague’s comments. The progress that has been made under this present Government is totally underwhelming. Quite frankly when we look at just how many submissions addressed the issues around Part 1 we can see that only one did. That is rather serious because it alludes to the fact that there is a total lack of direction coming from this present Government and unfortunately even worse a tolerance of inefficiency around the communications sector. The company that put forward that submission made the point that the experience of the Commerce Commission’s previous investigations and determinations suggests that the commission’s proposed timetable may slip and that any such slippage may be significant. So that is the existing mindset under the communications realm of this Government at the moment. That has become the standing order of the day as it were. The Government tell us within this bill that it will provide us with certainty. I would venture to say that it does nothing but provide us with uncertainty. 
Like my colleague Tim Groser I had to do an hour and a half’s research on this bill and on Part 1 especially but it was not until I read Maurice Williamson’s first reading speech that I had some understanding and grasp of the bill. I then read the speeches of Pansy Wong and Georgina te Heuheu and I was adequately empowered and enthused to be able to come down to the Chamber to speak and to hold this Government to account. The Minister in the chair David Parker is grinning but he has very few answers to the questions that have been raised from this side of the Chamber. 
I will concede that we are working with a hugely challenging medium. That is the point Maurice Williamson made—this is not a situation where we can take our eye off the ball and expect to remain in control. When we do our sums in Part 1 we see that only three of the particular areas that the Commerce Commission has been looking at have been concluded. The other 10 are in need of extra time so the Government has given the commission 2 years more. As my learned colleague Georgina te Heuheu pointed out this is obviously a de facto “throw up the white flag and surrender” situation. The Government is passing the ball and by 2008 it will be the National Party’s problem. [ 
Interruption 
] We will. We have the heart the mind and the fresh eyes to do so. The Government can choose the time and the place. 
So it is with great sadness that I stand here concerned for those people who have invested enormous amounts of money and who are making but one simple request—that we get certainty and some clarity around where we are going to head. This situation is very similar to many that are going on within this Government at the moment. The Government is definitely scaring the horses. Part 1 does not do a lot to instil confidence for those investors. If we want to transform this economy—which we know can potentially occur under the Communications Legislation Bill and under Part 1 especially—then 2 years will not do it. This is just a stopgap measure. The procrastination will continue; the confusion will increase. I must say that this Government that we have at this moment is not serving the best interests of the nation. It is not taking this country in the direction we need to go in to change this economy into a First World economy. To grab the words of Georgina te Heuheu again I say that this is nothing but a Third World economy.