Carter John: Business of Select Committees — Appointments 
Carter John: Business of Select Committees — Appointments 
[Volume:614;Page:10487] 
JOHN CARTER (Senior Whip—National) 
: 
 I listened with interest to the Deputy Prime Minister’s comments about the reasons why we are debating this motion setting up a special select committee to consider possibly four bills that relate to matters that are contentious in the Parliament and contentious in the public’s mind. I listened carefully to see whether the Minister had a very good reason why we should set up a special select committee rather than refer the legislation to one of the permanent select committees. 
I was interested to hear the Minister say we should set up a special select committee firstly to make sure that every party is represented and I accept that because that is logical and very useful; and secondly he said we should make sure there is good representation of Maori on the special select committee. At that point I started to wonder what was the real reason behind our setting up a special committee. One has to ask this question: we have a Maori Affairs Committee we have a Primary Production Committee— 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Practically no Maori on that. 
JOHN CARTER 
: Correct. But the point is that with either of those committees if there is a will by one or other of the parties that may not be represented on them directly there is the means by which that can happen. If a particular party feels that the people who are representing them on it are not the appropriate people then changes can be made. So it led me to this conclusion: the Government is concerned about the politics around these issues—the Maori Fisheries Bill the foreshore and seabed bill and the aquaculture and marine reserves legislation—and it is playing politics by setting up this special select committee. 
It is doing so because it is concerned that if it did for instance refer the bill to the Maori Affairs Committee then not only would that not look like the appropriate select committee but it would then cause the Government some difficulties in managing its people on that select committee. I say to the Deputy Prime Minister that I understand—and he can confirm it or not—that Russell Fairbrother is to be the chairman of the special select committee. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: Yes a brand-new member. 
JOHN CARTER 
: He is a first-term member who will be the chairman of a select committee that will deal with some extremely important sensitive legislation. Why would one get an anonymous backbencher to chair the select committee? 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: He’s known for his sensitivity. 
JOHN CARTER 
: That is right. Mr Prebble interjected that Mr Fairbrother is well known for his sensitivity. The fact is that we have to ask ourselves that question. The next question that then sprang to my mind is: who else is the Labour Party and the Deputy Prime Minister likely to put on the select committee from its side? If this motion gets passed Labour will have four members. So I ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether Tariana Turia will be one of those members. I have a great respect for that lady. [ 
Interruption 
] Well there are a few things she says that I do not agree with. There is a lot of stuff she says that I think makes good sense. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: Name one. 
JOHN CARTER 
: I can name several and am happy to do so but not on this occasion because I want to continue on with my political point. I wonder whether the Deputy Prime Minister trusts that member enough to put her on the select committee. It is well known that if issues start going down a line that the member will not like she will speak out about it. So I will take a bet that the Government will not run the risk of putting someone like Tariana Turia on the select committee. The Government will try to control and manipulate the committee so that it gets the decision it wants and it will not want to run the risk of putting anyone on the committee that is likely to upset the apple cart. I say that the chances of having Tariana Turia on the committee as a representative of the Labour Party are zilch. That is a great pity a great shame. Other members in the Labour Party— 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. For the attention of Mrs Awatere-Huata one does not stand at the back of the House when another member is on his or her feet speaking. 
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Yes the member will be seated. 
JOHN CARTER 
: There are other members from the Maori caucus of the Labour Party who should be represented on the select committee but I ask whether the Government will do that or will it put someone on it who comes from a pretty much landlocked electorate—David Parker for example. 
Jim Peters 
: David Parker? 
JOHN CARTER 
: David Parker. The Government may want to put David Parker on the committee because it will be the last thing he does before he loses his seat at the next election and it might want to give him the feeling of a little bit of power and influence. But one has to ask why the Government would put him on above somebody like for example Dover Samuels. Why would it put somebody who does not know what a fish looks like—and I doubt whether he runs into many Maori down there either for that matter—on to something that is as sensitive as this? One has to ask those sorts of questions as we debate who should be on the committee and who should not and why we should have it at all. 
Debate interrupted.