Goff Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Goff Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:654;Page:2916] 
2.  
Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by all the statements he has made in the last 2 weeks; if so why? 
Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes but there are one or two statements I could have been a little more precise about. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Does the Prime Minister stand by the statement he is reported as making in the  
New Zealand Herald 
 this morning that he caused confusion by telling the Minister of Maori Affairs first that he could go as a private citizen to talk to Commodore Bainimarama then that he could not; if so what caused this indecisiveness? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Which of the five statements in the last 2 weeks that the Prime Minister has made about Fiji does he stand by: that he would consider sending troops to Fiji and then he would not that the Minister of Maori Affairs could go as a private citizen to meet Commodore Bainimarama or he could not or that Hone Harawira could go if he wanted to; or does the Prime Minister need to check with Bill English first to find out what the Government’s real policy is on any of those issues? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: I stand by all the statements I have made in the last 2 weeks but like any politician I could choose my phrases a little more accurately sometimes just like yesterday when the Leader of the Opposition said about Mr Mallard: “He’s a guy that’s got a lot of punch as a parliamentarian.” 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Is the Prime Minister satisfied that the Maori Party met the conditions of his no-surprises policy and that in turn he reciprocated by respecting its mana-enhancing policy? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Does the Prime Minister stand by his statement on  
Sunrise 
 regarding removing point-of-sale advertising on tobacco products: “Now like all things in life um we’re not saying no. We’re quite prepared to have a look at that quite prepared for it to evolve over time but at this stage it’s one of those things where there’s no free lunch here.” and can he explain to the House what on earth he meant by that? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: I absolutely stand by that. I know that the Leader of the Opposition cannot make up his mind about the super-city but I am quite clear in my mind about point-of-sale advertising. As the Government said we have seen some research at this point but not enough to convince us that we should get rid of point-of-sale tobacco advertising because it would be tremendously expensive to do so and quite hard to administer. But like all good-thinking Governments over time we will consider the issue. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: When does the Prime Minister think that the Government will find the courage to take a stand on this issue given that the Ministry of Health has estimated 5000 people a year die from smoking—13 a day—and when he has been personally given evidence showing that kids exposed to such advertising are three times as likely to take up smoking? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: The Government agrees with the Leader of the Opposition if the point he is making is that smoking damages the health of New Zealanders. I saw a report from the Minister of Health just a few days ago indicating that that is an issue of concern to him and that he is looking at ways to try to ensure that fewer New Zealanders take up smoking. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Does the Prime Minister then stand by his statement in the  
Westport News 
 last Friday that the top personal tax rate in the United Kingdom is 70 percent; if so can he explain why he made that up when it is actually 50 percent? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: It is a shame the Leader of the Opposition was not there to hear the speech because it was a good speech; the point I made was that the top rate is going to 50 percent in the United Kingdom plus VAT of 17.5 percent. It means that higher-income earners are given a tax rate of approximately 70 percent.