Brownlee Gerry: General Debates 
Brownlee Gerry: General Debates 
[Volume:615;Page:11301] 
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of miscellaneous business 
. What an extraordinary range of opportunities the Government has served up to the Opposition to discuss in the general debate today. We could talk about the amazing back-down on school closures throughout this country. The tough education Minister Trevor Mallard went up and down the country and fronted up to audiences and was absolutely resolute—and remains so—about the need to shut down schools. But after the results of two polls Helen Clark panicked and the policy is dead. 
We could talk about the equally spectacular turn-round the back-down on the seabed and foreshore legislation. The only problem is that on  
Morning Report 
 today the Prime Minister said she did not know what Trevor Mallard had told the caucus although a few of the members had contacted her overnight. She said that she was more scared of them than any poll and she said that nothing had changed. So everything is back to where it was last December. The people whom Katherine Rich spoke about—whether first second seventh eighth ninth or 10th generation non-Maori New Zealanders—are dispossessed of any interest in the seabed and foreshore. 
I could talk about the sidelining of Margaret Wilson the hapless labour relations Minister. She is out of that role because of her extreme leftist views or extreme pro-union views. In her place we have the friendly face of the Labour Government—namely small Paul Swain who will attempt to inveigle his way into the hearts of business people by telling them that the Government is not going to do this. He will say: “Put in your submissions and we’ll listen.” But at the last minute those people will be slam dunked. 
We could talk about the slap in the face for the Maori caucus—the absolute slap in the face for every Maori member in the Labour Party in being told in effect they are too incompetent in their ministries their select committee involvements and their interactions in the caucus to hold such an important portfolio as race relations. Because race relations is such a sensitive area the Prime Minister has chosen the “genteel” Trevor Mallard to take on the role of smoothing the waters. 
These are all issues that should be debated and talked about. However the big issue of the week is the despicable and disgraceful involvement of the Prime Minister in the release of a document from her office; a document privileged between her as the member of Parliament and the person who gave that document to the office—if in fact it was legitimately acquired—and not only putting that document out into the public arena but being involved in the crime of using that document in respect of someone who had gone to her asking for help. 
 We need to look very clinically at this issue. I will be followed later in this debate by my colleague Judith Collins who has a great deal of further information to lay on the Table. It is inconceivable that a Prime Minister who concerns herself with every detail of the Government’s activities—apart from the seabed and foreshore because apparently no one tells her what is going on although she has a reputation for dealing with the minutiae of Government activity—would not have known what documents were coming out of her electorate office. I think most people in this House faced with a staff member releasing a document from a constituent’s file without the constituent’s permission or the member’s permission would be sent down the road—immediately. This Prime Minister who is so fastidious about all matters says that she was happy to leave the judgment on this issue up to her electorate office staff. 
I do not accept that. I have a strong view that the Prime Minister last Monday knew that the document concerned had been given to Lianne Dalziel by a staff member in the Prime Minister’s office without the permission of the person mentioned in the document and without the permission of the Prime Minister herself. The other explanation is not believable.