Coleman Jonathan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Coleman Jonathan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:638;Page:8708] 
8.  
Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (National—Northcote) 
 to the  
Minister of Broadcasting 
: Does he stand by his statement to the House yesterday “That is what one does by making a formal complaint: one complains right to the board of Radio New Zealand.”; if not why not? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) 
: 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Broadcasting 
: As I explained yesterday the broadcasters and the Broadcasting Standards Authority have an agreed process in place for complaints. The first step for all complaints except those relating to a breach of privacy is that the complaint be lodged with the broadcaster within 20 working days of the incident. If the complainant is unhappy with the broadcaster’s response he or she can then refer the matter to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. 
Dr Jonathan Coleman 
: How does the Minister reconcile his statement in the House yesterday with the Radio New Zealand Act 1995 which states that “no responsible Minister … may give a direction to the public radio company … or any director or officer or employee of the company … in respect of … A particular programme or a particular allegation or a particular complaint”; and does the Minister realise he has broken the law—yes or no? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: Easily and no. Making a complaint is not giving a direction. 
Shane Jones 
: Is the Minister aware of examples of how other members deal with broadcasting complaints? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I understand that it is quite typical for media organisations of all types to receive calls from Opposition members if they are concerned about something that has been said about them. All members are able to do so if they are concerned. The Minister stands by his right to complain when he is as badly misrepresented as he was by Mr Sean Plunket. 
Dr Jonathan Coleman 
: Does the Minister understand that under the Broadcasting Standards Authority code for which he is responsible if a member of the public wishes to make a formal complaint about something he or she has seen or heard on radio or TV the correct procedure is to put the complaint in writing to the chief executive officer of the broadcaster concerned and if the complainant is dissatisfied with the response to refer it to the Broadcasting Standards Authority; and could the Minister explain why the code would not apply to the Minister? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The Minister would certainly have intended to write to Radio New Zealand; in the end he has not done so. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Has the Minister received any reports that would enable him to give an assurance that no Radio New Zealand staff member including Sean Plunket spoke to any National Party MP about this particular issue this week? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I certainly cannot give an assurance that Mr Sean Plunket did not speak to any National Party MP. I am aware that Mr Plunket applied for the job of chief press officer with the National Party. 
Dr Jonathan Coleman 
: Does the Minister agree with the Prime Minister’s statement before the 1999 election when she said that turning on journalists shows that one is in trouble and that “100 times out of 100 it backfires. When you end up blaming the media for your problems you have a very big problem.”—or would he say: “I’m fed up with you Helen. I’m fed up with you.”? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I can certainly understand why the Minister is fed up with that particular member. But the reality is that when one is accused of something by a radio journalist that is totally out of order totally unacceptable and totally offensive anybody has the right to complain. The Minister has the right to complain in that matter. 
Dr Jonathan Coleman 
: Does the Minister understand that rather than breaking the Radio New Zealand Act the Minister of Broadcasting should be focusing on the digital TV launch; and is he not worried that with the launch of digital TV in less than 4 weeks there is virtually no public awareness of FreeView he still cannot tell us how much a set-top box will cost and he cannot tell the House how many households will be tuning in to FreeView on 2 May? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I fail to see the connection of that question to the primary question but nevertheless I am sure that the Minister is on top of that matter. I know that he has been a very strong advocate of digital radio and television for a very long time. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. When listening to Dr Cullen’s answer on behalf of the Minister of Broadcasting I heard him assert that any Minister threatened by the media could respond in the way that Mr Maharey did yesterday. Connecting that to a note that the Clerk’s Office has sent round to everybody telling us that Parliament will be televised very very shortly—in fact from July—I ask is it your intention Madam Speaker to have perhaps a 7-second delay button so that the nation might not be subjected to outbursts such as Mr Maharey gave in the House apparently quite justifiably yesterday? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I suggest that if you were to do that Madam Speaker you might have something like a 5-minute delay button so that you could cancel points of order that were out of order from the National Party. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That was not a valid point of order.