Hughes Darren: Immigration Act 2009 Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Hughes Darren: Immigration Act 2009 Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
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I acknowledge the speaker who has just sat down and offer my sympathy to him. He has obviously drawn the short straw. Had Mr Finlayson as an eminent lawyer been in charge of the Immigration Act 2009 Amendment Bill he would not have done what his Cabinet colleague did—that is make an omission on the Supplementary Order Paper in respect of section 474. I commend the Attorney-General for biting the bullet drawing the short straw and leading with his chin to correct the mess-up of both the Minister of Immigration and his venerable Associate Minister Kate Wilkinson who as we speak and as I said last night is probably dropping acid—that is folic acid. Everything that woman as a Minister has touched has turned to mush. From the folic acid issue to the Department of Conservation issue there has been a litany of mistakes. I commend Mr Finlayson and I again say that had he been in charge of this bill as he is an eminent lawyer which I am not I am sure there would have been no omission. 
The reason we are standing here tonight spending taxpayers’ money is the incompetence of this Government. The Labour Opposition will support and facilitate this amendment bill but we will make a couple of points going through. We wrote most of the Immigration Act when in Government and we supported its passage and the passage of most of its amendments which this Government passed on coming to office. But it is amazing that there was an omission in relation to the commencement of section 474 of the Immigration Act which as the Attorney-General pointed out allows the Governor-General to appoint the chair and members of the Immigration and Protection Tribunal and allows the tribunal to publish immigration instructions for the granting of visas under the new legislation and to approve and issue the forms that will be used for the application process under the new legislation among other things. 
I note that the Minister of Immigration earned the title of “The Maestro” in this place and in other places. He was the maestro of the Mt Albert by-election that went so wrong. He is the person who was in charge of the Rugby World Cup broadcasting debacle. He is the person who earlier this month announced a new retirement immigration package. Of course embarrassingly for him he did not look back in history. The same policy had been investigated by the former National Government in 1999 before it lost office and the policy was dismissed because it was unworkable. I also note and I hope the Associate Minister of Immigration takes a call because she shares responsibility for the hash that has been made of this that it is interesting that we are spending thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money to come down to this House— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Thanks to Tau Henare. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: —I could not possibly comment on that—to correct a basic error in a Supplementary Order Paper. The Government cannot blame the officials for this because under our Westminster system the Minister is responsible. Thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money is being spent to correct a basic error. 
David Garrett 
: So sit down and we’ll get it done quicker. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I hear from the back a squawk from Parliament’s man Mr Garrett who tells me to sit down and we will get it done faster. On the one hand Mr Garrett comes from a party that believes in open public debate— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: No they don’t. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Well he says he does. His leader says that he believes in empowering communities and having open transparent debate. It is a principle that this member has never exhibited on the select committee on which he sits. He is a person who is led by the nose by the National Government— 
David Garrett 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have two points. One point which I guess is no record here is that Mr Cosgrove is talking about something utterly unrelated to the Immigration Act 2009 Amendment Bill. Secondly he is referring in derogatory terms to members of the House who are both present and not present. [ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: I am on my feet and there will be no correspondence entered into when I am ruling. I just make the point that yes I think there is some merit in what the member who raised the point of order said. Mr Cosgrove was straying out of the area. He was provoked I guess because of interjections but I think he has had his fair share and should come back to the bill. Secondly I did not take from his comments any particular offence that persons could have taken. I make the point to the member raising the point of order that offence cannot be taken on behalf of another person. I call on the Hon Clayton Cosgrove to speak to the bill. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Absolutely and in speaking to the bill I say that it is important that we have public and parliamentary debate on this issue. It is very germane to this bill. Mr Garrett and other members may want us to sit down shut up and let these things go through because of course it suits that member. I will say again that despite being Parliament’s man in this place he is led by the nose by the Government to stifle any parliamentary debate that may not suit his purpose. I am sorry but Mr Garrett will have to stay awake. He will have to do his job and earn the taxpayers’ shilling. He will have to sit in the Chamber and listen to the debate. 
Hon John Carter 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I thought I heard you just a minute or two ago give a direction to the member on this feet that he should address the bill. From listening to his address since the time that you gave him an instruction he has done nothing but berate a member of this House. He has not made any reference to the bill at all. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: I have some sympathy with the point the member has made. I invited the member to address the bill. What Mr Garrett’s views are on anything is not relevant to this member’s presentation on the bill. I invite the member to come back to the Immigration Act 2009 Amendment Bill. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairman—I am sorry I mean Mr Speaker. You will be Chairman very shortly. I have great faith in you. 
Hon Rick Barker 
: Is this a demotion or a promotion? 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: It will be a big promotion for you. Within 30 minutes I see great things in your future. I think you will be a Chairman very shortly. This bill was laid on the Table just minutes ago so the member has not had a chance to look at it. Clearly the debate will be a little wide. If the members of the Government’s support parties are going to interject and be just plain nasty and to use the language of Dr Nick Smith resort to personal denigration then of course Mr Cosgrove as a senior Labour front-bencher will defend his honour in that respect. All I can ask is that the Acting Leader of the House Mr Power bring his calm hand to the proceedings at this time. It seems to me that at this rate we risk spiralling way out of control. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Rick Barker) 
: I will not respond to that. I refuse to respond to that and I simply invite Mr Cosgrove to address the Immigration Act 2009 Amendment Bill. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am reminded of the words of my predecessor Mike Moore and I am sure members will appreciate this: “You’re only in trouble in this House when they’re praising you.” This bill is a relatively cosmetic amendment. I see that it is a four-clause bill. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: He hasn’t even read it. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I have had a quick skim read because it was put on the Table about 2 or 3 minutes ago and that is it. That is why we are spending thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money because the Minister of Immigration either could not read or wanted this done under urgency in order to correct an error in a Supplementary Order Paper. The Minister of Immigration by his own definition considers himself to be an expert in this area—“The Maestro” some people would call him—but I invite the Attorney-General to perhaps hold some tutorials because I think the Attorney-General in another life was an academic who lectured in the law. Maybe he could hold some tutorials on legislative drafting or whatever to assist the Minister of Immigration. 
We will support this bill because we believe in the bill’s objectives. But in passing it it is appropriate that despite those who would stifle democracy and parliamentary debate in this place we make the point that this is another brick in the wall for the National Party. It is another error another piece of incompetence. I believe that the Acting Leader of the House is somewhere in the Chamber. Perhaps he is emanating from it. Perhaps Mr Power is offering Dr Coleman some tutorials. But this is another case of mismanagement as we sit in urgency tonight to debate a five-clause bill to insert a date to trigger a Supplementary Order Paper that should have been dealt with in the body of the legislation weeks or months ago when it was put up. 
I say to the National Party that yesterday I think we saw on the 6 o’clock news that the issue of moment before Cabinet was whether we should drink beer out of cans or pottles at the Rugby World Cup—not that we should go there because this an immigration debate. Today the issue of moment before Parliament is the correction of a date and the correction of an error in a five-clause A3 piece of paper that is supposed to be a bill. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Sit down and let’s get on with it. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am told that I should sit down. There is only one reason that Mr Henare would say that. It is the old saying from  
Dad’s Army 
: “They don’t like it up ’em”. “They don’t like it up ’em” in a political sense. They do not like it when the Opposition holds them to account exposes their incompetence exposes their mismanagement and exposes their stupidity. 
I pay my respects again to the Attorney-General. He tonight has shown bravery elegance honour and he has bitten the bullet. He obviously volunteered in an honourable way to accept the short straw in Cabinet and come down here to correct the incompetence of his Cabinet colleagues—of both the Minister of Immigration and the Associate Minister of Immigration. I will give due respect to the Attorney-General during the Committee stage. We look forward to a lengthy explanation as to why this error occurred and as to what he will do to correct the future behaviour of his colleagues so that we have bills brought to this House that are complete are correct and are not led by incompetent Ministers.