Woodhouse Michael: Inquiries Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Woodhouse Michael: Inquiries Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 July 2009. Volume:656;Page:5218. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker. I am very happy to take a quick call on the Inquiries Bill. 
Before I do I want to just touch on a few things that young Mr Hipkins said at the start of his speech. In typical Labour fashion he kicked off by saying that this was a Labour bill and he took credit for it. But he added another dimension to that theme by saying that if Labour was in power that would be exactly where the bill would stay—languishing on the Order Paper. Why? Because according to Mr Hipkins a Labour Government would introduce more important legislation. He tried to stop himself but he actually used those words. He said that Labour would be focusing on the things that matter. Where have we heard that? 
What would those things that matter to Labour be? Perhaps last year’s efforts by the last remnants of the previous Labour Government are a guide to what those members would have done this year. Those members rammed through legislation on electoral finance under urgency which was described by all commentators as an affront to democracy; passed a completely unworkable emissions trading scheme which had more than 700 amendments that had never gone near a select committee; delivered a Budget that emptied the coffers in a futile attempt to gain the electorate’s favour on— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: We are on the Inquiries Bill. 
MICHAEL WOODHOUSE 
: Mr Hipkins opened the door. Well if that is Labour’s idea of focusing on the things that matter then it is a good thing that the public focused on its members and threw Labour out of office. 
Let us talk about inquiries. We heard Darien Fenton talk about what sorts of inquiries she would have liked. There was a long list of others that we could have had in the last 9 years such as “Doone-gate” “paintergate” “Dover-gate”— 
Amy Adams 
: “Speedgate”. 
MICHAEL WOODHOUSE 
: —“speedgate”. There were more gates than on Amy Adams’ farm. But it is important that we focus just for a little bit— 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: That was witty. 
MICHAEL WOODHOUSE 
: The member may feel free to laugh. Mr Deputy Speaker I am sure that you are chuckling on the inside. 
I will touch on a couple of things that Mr Flavell raised in terms of the gravitas of this and the fact that the royal— 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: You wouldn’t know what gravitas is. 
MICHAEL WOODHOUSE 
: I did; I learnt a very good word. The Law Commission mentioned that these inquiries did not need the strength of a royal appointment. The legislation as it was introduced by the previous Government did not agree with the Law Commission on that point and I support that. Also I think that the fines that are introduced certainly add to the importance of the commission. Commissions are very costly and it behoves those who participate in them to take them seriously. I think the fines regime is something that the select committee might work on. But I support the bill and I look forward to it going to a select committee. Thanks.