Bennett David: Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Third Reading 
Bennett David: Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:634;Page:5851] 
DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) 
: 
 Today we are debating the Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill. I will start by looking at what New Zealand First members have been saying. They are here. 
Simon Power 
: What a surprise! 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Why would I start on them? Let us not let them get away with another day off. There is a reason why New Zealand First members are doing what they are doing. It is because they know they will be out of this place in 3 years’ time and they will leave a $150000 debt with the public. That debt will be all tied up in the courts for the following 2 years and they will never pay it back. This is all part of their strategy— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member will please be seated. I say to members that the practice of members engaging in a constant barrage of interjections amounts to heckling and it is entirely intolerable in the debating chamber. I am trying to listen to the honourable member on my left. There is a lot of noise and I am having difficulty listening to him. I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member but I ask members to give him a fair go. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Thank you Mr Chairperson. 
Peter Brown 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. New Zealand First has no objection to the member reciting exactly what we said but if he is going to distort the truth we will interrupt him with points of order. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I say to Mr Brown that we have dealt with a similar issue this morning. The correct procedure for that situation is privilege and the member knows how to handle those situations. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: Why are they so sensitive? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Those members are sensitive because they have an exit strategy out of this House. Their leader has a new job. What will they do? They will leave the taxpayers with a $150000 debt. These are the people who said they would be honest and stand up for the ordinary New Zealander. Well what have they done? They have stolen from the ordinary New Zealander and they have not even had the decency to pay the money back. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: Will they pay it back? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: No it is disgusting. On the other hand Labour will actually pay the money back by the looks of things. Labour is having the great whip-round as we can see on TradeMe. People can buy a Labour Party deck of cards—“Labour is trumps”—that is sold by the New Zealand Labour Party. On the TradeMe website it says that no one has traded with the New Zealand Labour Party yet and it has been a member of TradeMe since October 2006. No address is verified but the seller allows pick-ups. 
What does the website say about the chances of getting a Labour Party deck of cards? It says: “they’re still wrapped in cellophane and in mint condition.”—never been used. The description continues: “If you prefer not to unwrap them they’d surely also make a fabulous addition to any mantelpiece.” That is what Labour Party voters have on their mantelpieces—a pack of Labour Party cards that has never been opened! 
There is also a Labour pledge card on TradeMe—as new. This is quite possibly the most expensive piece of cardboard for sale on TradeMe; it is an absolute collector’s item—it is brilliant stuff! Or do members want a Labour Party autograph book—“1st Labour Govt 1936”—that will be a good one will it not? The description states: “You are bidding on a genuine New Zealand Labour Party autograph book …”. It continues: “Keep them in Power and New Zealand is safe.” Yeah right! This item was also put up by the New Zealand Labour Party but no one has traded with it yet. There is another item—the New Zealand Labour Party journal. It is described as a large soft cover book but the book’s state is “fair to good”—certainly not worth trading on. 
Members should look at what the public has been saying about Labour’s trading; these remarks are quite interesting. In regard to the pledge card a question states: “No i was asking if they are the only ones stupid enough to pay for it twice. Considering its been paid for already”. The answer to that question states: “I think Labour MPs will be paying for it twice. Firstly with stolen money and now very reluctantly with their own.” That is the truth of the matter. 
Someone else asked: “can I pay you in april 2008—with a pack of chewing gum?”. The answer to that question is: “Try bubble gum. That effort will have to be inflated quite a lot for anyone to go for it.” This is the stuff that the public has been thinking about what Labour has been doing to them. Other questions include: “What happened to my bid? That was deadly serious.” The answer to that question states: “Your bid was retrospectively legislated against. Just pretend it never happened.” That is the reality of what people have been thinking. 
Another question on the website asks: “Is the signature authentic?”. The answer to that question states: “Art experts disagree. It’s a difficult question because if the signature is real then the card may be fake. Politics is all about integrity.” These are beautiful comments are they not? Another question asks: “Is this card used? Or just tarnished?”. The answer states: “This card is not only used it’s been heavily abused.” Finally a question asks: “Are these the same tired old promises and are these pledges ever likely to be fulfilled?”. The answer states: “The promises are not worth the paper they’re written on. Rest assured though that the paper they’re printed on was very expensive.” 
That is what the public of New Zealand think. They are sick and tired of this Government taking advantage of Government money and using it in this way. This Government stole the last election. Members of that party would not be in this Parliament if they did not have that $14000 per electorate. That is theft.