King Annette: General Debates 
King Annette: General Debates 
[Volume:614;Page:10588] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 What a historic day this is in the development of the relationship between Australia and New Zealand. Today Australia and New Zealand signed an agreement to establish a joint agency to regulate medicines and therapeutic products. It is significant that a treaty has been signed this year—the 20th anniversary of the establishment of closer economic relations. This joint regulator is the culmination of many years of hard work. 
Today I would like to congratulate all those who have been involved in this 9-year process of bringing together a joint regulator. I congratulate the Rt Hon Jenny Shipley who in 1996 signed the first agreement that we would go into a joint regulator. I congratulate the Hon Neil Kirton who in 1997 then continued the process of setting up the joint regulator. I congratulate Bill English who from 1997 through to 1999 was involved in the setting up of the joint regulator. I congratulate Wyatt Creech who in 1999 pushed it even further. Finally I congratulate Georgina te Heuheu who was also one of those who signed the last document in terms of setting up a joint regulator. That work was done over those years. 
When I became Minister in 1999 I looked at the work that had been done by the previous coalition Government of New Zealand First and National and we decided that we would agree in principle to a joint regulator. I announced in October 2000 that the Government was committed to such an agency. In November 2002 I again affirmed that the Government had decided to continue with a joint regulator. 
Today is a blue-ribbon day. However I happen to know that the Australians are rather disappointed in the National Party and the Minister has said that she intends to have a little chat with National Party members as to why they are not taking some credit for the work that has been done and why they are not looking seriously at our trans-Tasman relationship. This is the final part of the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement which was never finished. We have had an exemption for those products since 1998 and every year we have had to go back to get a further exemption. So it is a very blue-ribbon day today. I am very pleased that we have signed the treaty. 
The joint regulator will protect the public from harm and ensure there is safety quality and efficiency. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: It sells out our country. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: It stops friends of Winston Peters from selling products that contain arsenic grass clippings and those sorts of things—something he does not care about. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. A member cannot get up and claim that friends of a member of Parliament are selling arsenic though I know where it would be most properly used. A member cannot say that. She should be asked to withdraw and apologise. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: The member is quite correct. The member will withdraw and apologise. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I did withdraw and apologise. The idea of the joint regulator is to ensure that complementary medicines pharmaceuticals over-the-counter products and medical devices reach the highest standard before they are given to the public of New Zealand. There may be members opposite who do not think it is very important to have strong regulations around the sale of products containing grass clippings which people claim will fix someone’s prostate problem. There are those who sell products containing arsenic and say the products are good for people; who sell products containing Viagra but do not say that thus people do not know they are taking Viagra; who put mercury into products— 
Simon Power 
: You might find out. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: That may well be of benefit to the member opposite. In fact I recommend it to him. However that is not what this Government or previous Governments—including the Government that Winston Peters was in—supports. 
Today as I said is a blue-ribbon day a red-letter day or whatever one wants to call it. We are very pleased to have signed the treaty and to now allow the legislation to be prepared for the establishment of that joint regulator. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: It won’t get passed. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I predict that it will pass when people see what is involved and start to listen to the arguments. 
I also ask what the reaction has been. I would like to share with the House the reaction of the New Zealand Medical Association which put out a statement today that it makes considerable sense for such regulations to be consistent with our Australian counterparts particularly for reasons of cost-effectiveness and of introducing higher standards. It supports what this Government and previous Governments have worked towards. 
The thing that really disappoints me is that ACT put out a statement that we ought to have mutual recognition but that was rejected in ACT’s own report.