Norman Russel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNorman Russel: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 26 June 2013. Volume:691;Page:11270. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green)to thePrime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that “In 2009 New Zealand was rated first on the Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perception Index’. Out of 180 countries New Zealand was rated as having the lowest perceived public sector corruption. As a nation that ranking is something of which we can be very proud”?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):Yes and I note that the 2010 2011 and 2012 indexes all show New Zealand maintaining its position as first or first equal in the rankings.Dr Russel Norman: Is he concerned that Transparency International whose Corruption Perceptions Index he rightly holds in such high regard has highlighted his own convention-centre-for-pokies deal as raising concerns from both a fiscal transparency accountability and a regulatory perspective; if not why not?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No and the reason for that is that this deal will be in full view for the public. We campaigned on the issue prior to the election. The agreement will be in the public domain when it is fully signed by both parties. The legislation supporting it will go through a select committee process and the Auditor-General had a thorough look at the process and for the most part was happy.Dr Russel Norman: So is the Prime Minister saying that Transparency International is wrong?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes and the Government has been very transparent about its dealings with Skycity. Unlike some political parties we do not do our negotiations in a box on a Saturday night at the All Blacks game. We do it—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question has been answered. [Interruption ] Order!Dr Russel Norman: Does he agree—[Interruption ]Mr SPEAKER: Order! The level of interjections coming now from both sides of the House is unacceptable for Dr Norman to ask his supplementary question.Dr Russel Norman: Does he agree with Transparency International that the public procurement process in the Skycity project was severely compromised?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No and neither does the Auditor-General.Dr Russel Norman: Does he disagree then with the Auditor-General when she found that the evaluation process for the convention centre bids was neither transparent nor even-handed?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not agree with the Auditor-General on that basic point. I think it is worth remembering if we go through the process one more time that this is a deal that we campaigned on this is a deal where the full agreement of all the terms and conditions will be in the public domain for everybody to see this is a deal that will be supported by legislation that will go through a full select committee process and this is a deal where the Auditor-General actually found broadly speaking she was happy. The point that the Auditor-General did not like was the point that we have traversed in this House many times before. She believed that the officials should have stopped the process at a point where it was clear that Skycity was the likely preferred candidate and in fact the Government’s view was we needed to get more information.Dr Russel Norman: Is it then the Prime Minister’s position that Transparency International is wrong when it said the Skycity project procurement process was severely compromised and is it his position that the Auditor-General is wrong when the Auditor-General found that the evaluation process was neither transparent nor even-handed—the Prime Minister is always right; and Transparency International and the Auditor-General they are just wrong?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I could not put it better myself. Yes they are wrong.Dr Russel Norman: Does he intend to ignore all of the different legal and academic voices such as the Law Society Transparency International and the Auditor-General who have all raised concerns about the way this Government treats the rule of law and the proper procurement process and is he concerned that he will corrode the good reputation that the New Zealand Government had when he came into office?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The Government is always going to be active across a wide range of fronts. We are a busy Government and there will always be people who offer views and sometimes we will not agree with them. But I point out to the member again that New Zealand ranked No. 1 in its own right or first equal in the years 2010 2011 and 2012. They happen to be all the years I was Prime Minister of New Zealand. I am not the one who sneaks off to Skycity’s box and has a little—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question has been adequately addressed.Dr Russel Norman: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I wish to raise the issue that you yourself spoke of previously.Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is a point of order and it will be heard in silence.Dr Russel Norman: The point that we have been referring to is Standing Order 383 “Content of replies” which states: “The reply to any question must be concise and confined to the subject-matter of the question asked”. The Prime Minister repeatedly during the course of these questions breached that Standing Order. I would ask you what is your remedy to deal with the fact that the Prime Minister consistently breaches Standing Order 383?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The member asked me questions about transparency and openness in relation to Skycity. I made the Government’s position very clear. I also contrasted it with the behaviour I saw from other political parties. That is quite legitimate public answering.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Supplementary question.Mr SPEAKER: No I have just got to rule on a point of order that has been raised by Dr Russel Norman. I ask Dr Russel Norman to have a close look at the content of hisquestion in line with Standing Order 377. If he can get his questions concise he can expect a concise answer.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Did Skycity donate money to the National Party in 2011; if so how much?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I have no responsibility for that.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I did not ask the Prime Minister about his responsibilities. I asked him a simple question: how much did Skycity give you in 2011?Mr SPEAKER: Order! Well Skycity certainly did not give me anything but the Prime Minister stood up and said he does not have any responsibility. That was his answer to the question.Dr Russel Norman: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is a well-established tradition that if in the answers that the Prime Minister gives he introduces subject matter then that becomes legitimate for the Opposition to ask questions about. Mr Peters has followed up on Mr Key’s own introduction of political parties’ behaviour with Skycity. Mr Peters simply asked a follow-up question on it.Mr SPEAKER: That is absolutely correct. I did not rule the question out of order. The question was in order and the Prime Minister answered it as he saw fit.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You are correct. You did not rule out the question. But what you did was you disagreed with the point of order that sought to make him answer it by saying it was not his responsibility. He made it his responsibility when he talked about the Labour Party. Now he says it is not. That is the inconsistency that you are required to address.Mr SPEAKER: The Prime Minister stood to his feet and answered the question and said he had no responsibility for any donations that were made by any company to a political party. He is entitled to give that answer if he so chooses.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This is not about whether the Prime Minister has or has not that responsibility since he put that issue with his reference to Labour not once but three times. The question is whether he does or does not know the answer. He can answer that question but he refuses to answer on the basis that it is not his responsibility. That is what questions in the House are for.Mr SPEAKER: It is not the way that the Prime Minister chose to answer the question and that is a matter for the Prime Minister to decide. I have ruled on the matter. We are moving forward to question No. 4 from Phil Twyford.