Mark Ron: Government Communications Security Bureau Bill — In Committee 
Mark Ron: Government Communications Security Bureau Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4386] 
RON MARK (NZ First) 
: 
 I really want to point out a couple of things but firstly I need to bring to the attention of the Committee just how long this part has been waiting to be debated. It is quite interesting to go back through some of the Order Papers is it not? On 10 September 2002 this bill was sitting at No. 41 on the Order Paper. 
Rod Donald 
: It came in under urgency. 
RON MARK 
: It did too. On 27 February this year it had finally worked its way to No. 12 on the Order Paper. Here we are on 25 March and the bill has finally got to the stage where we are now debating it as item No. 5—it is actually listed as item No. 7—on the Order Paper. We have witnessed up to this point an absolute silence on the Government benches and a Minister who simply is not interested in the bill. She is sitting there not answering any questions and not countering any points that are made by members—points that the Government clearly disagrees with because it has voted against the amendments that those members have put up—with an absolute confidence that this bill in its current form is ready for passing. I draw clause 9(2) to the attention of the Minister in the chair the Hon Lianne Dalziel. I ask her to please take an interest in the security issues that face our country. I ask her to read clause 9 and specifically subclause (2) and ask herself whether that clause is correct. If the Minister is happy for clause 9(2) to go through then that is fine—that probably justifies why she can sit there and not make one sentence one word or one utterance in support defence or explanation of the bill. But when I look at that clause I see a problem. I am not being paid the sort of money that Minister is getting paid. I do not have a ministerial gold card a ministerial gold car with leather seats and all the trappings of office around me but someone certainly does. I see that there is a problem. There is a basic error—a simple fundamental flaw—that this Government has not picked up on. 
Why? Because Government members are not even participating in the debate. They have not even read the bill. It is not my job to sit here and tell the Government how to do its job particularly when it has the biggest Cabinet that the country has ever seen since—well since whenever. This Government has more people on ministerial salaries than anyone can recall in their time in this House. There is a fault an error in this bill and the Government had better sort its act out or we will be back here in the Chamber again correcting it. That is all I am saying to the Minister. I can see the error; I am not responsible for the bill; someone sitting in this Chamber is responsible for it right now; and I suggest that that someone do some work right now to correct that fault. If we find that we are back in the Chamber again in order to resolve stupid administrative errors then that simply reflects poorly on the calibre and quality of Cabinet staff and the administration—the executive—of this Government. I am talking about a simple basic stupid little flaw that should not be in the bill given that this bill has been hanging around on the Government Order Paper for years. I will leave it at that.