Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:615;Page:11223] 
11.  
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: What did she discuss with Lianne Dalziel in her meeting with her on Wednesday last week and when did she first become aware of the involvement of her electorate office in the transmission of the letter leaked last Monday by Lianne Dalziel? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 There was not a meeting on Wednesday with the former Minister but in the course of a telephone conversation she informed me that the document in question had come from the Mt Albert electorate office. That was news to me. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Is she aware that the former Minister of Immigration after that telephone conversation with the Prime Minister proceeded to do an interview with the  
Sunday 
 programme in which she made statements now proved to be untrue; and can she deny that she was not complicit in an attempt to get the former immigration Minister out of trouble though she must have known that the former Minister would need to be untruthful in order to do so? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: No I was not aware she was doing a  
Sunday 
 interview that day. It did come to my notice of course on Friday that she had given an interview to the New Zealand Press Association on Monday night where there was clearly an untruth told. My advice to all members is to tell the truth. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: In the course of the telephone conversation on Wednesday did the Prime Minister ask the former immigration Minister who leaked the document to TV3; if it was Lianne Dalziel who told her it was done by her staff under her instruction why did she not sack her right then and if Lianne Dalziel did not tell her that she had leaked it why did the Prime Minister not find out who had? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Ms Dalziel did tell me that she had seen that it had gone to TV3 as it had through the press secretary. All that is well established. I told her that I was concerned about the  
Morning Report 
 interview and no doubt it was after reflecting on that in the course of the day that she then gave an interview on the  
Holmes 
 show where she made an abject apology and went on  
Morning Report 
 again the next day. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: In between her public statement supporting the former Minister of Immigration and the public statement that the media logs or organisations were checked what other relevant facts did the Prime Minister find in those 24 hours that caused her to change her mind and ask the Minister to resign? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The relevant fact was the drawing to my attention on Friday morning of both the New Zealand Press Association report and the supplementary question on question No. 12 last Thursday to Dr Cullen that was based on that report. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Was the Prime Minister made aware on Wednesday morning that Lianne Dalziel had denied putting the document into the TV3 office and if she was made aware did that information come from her staff who as late as Friday were trying to justify the Minister’s actions by taking pieces of paper around the gallery and creating confusion around this case that clearly does not exist; if so why was she not upset and concerned at that point that her staff were involved in protecting the Minister? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: As far I knew from talking to Ms Dalziel following the  
Morning Report 
 interview that was the only interview she had done where that question had arisen. It was not until Friday morning that I became aware of the New Zealand Press Association interview on the Monday night that the member himself had drawn to Dr Cullen’s attention on Thursday afternoon.