Bradford Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Bradford Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:611;Page:8449] 
9.  
SUE BRADFORD (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Internal Affairs 
: Will he be proposing amendments to the Gambling Bill following reports that the weekend meeting of the New Zealand Council of the Labour Party passed a motion expressing “its very grave concern at aspects of the Gambling Bill that are being imposed on the Government by United Future through a series of anti-family amendments”; if not why not? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Minister of Internal Affairs) 
: 
 No because the Government Supplementary Order Paper has already been tabled. 
Sue Bradford 
: Will the Minister be supporting the call by the New Zealand Labour Party Council to stop the anti-family aspects of the proposed amendments to the Gambling Bill such as the Lotteries Commission providing Internet-based gaming and allowing banknote acceptors on pokie- machines; if not why not? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: No. The move to Internet gambling with the Lotteries Commission was done after very careful consideration by the Government. 
Dianne Yates 
: How does the Gambling Bill address problem gambling? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The Government recognises that problem gambling is a public health issue. The bill makes the Ministry of Health responsible for problem-gambling services. The bill also provides measures to minimise the harm caused by gambling including restrictions on the number of gaming machines at certain sites. 
Judith Collins 
: When did the Minister consider it would be a good idea to get the Government’s Lotteries Commission to promote and sell the two most addictive forms of gambling—Internet gambling and pokie machines—and why did he not think he should tell the people of New Zealand about it until the end of last week? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The Government has considered a wide range of public views in a number of submissions and in fact I have written 900 letters to correct the misleading information that the Opposition put out. 
Brent Catchpole 
: What did United Future say in its highly detailed very specific and oh-so-flimsy confidential confidence and supply agreement that supports its anti-family position on the Gambling Bill; and if there is nothing in that agreement why has the Government agreed to the anti-family amendments? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I must say that the idea of Internet gaming for lotteries is a very well reasoned piece of information that the Government itself proposed. 
Marc Alexander 
: Can the Minister confirm that the amendment to include Internet gambling was never brought by United Future but was instead initiated by the Government at the request of the Lotteries Commission meaning that claims by the Greens to the contrary are totally and utterly false? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Yes yes and yes once more. 
Sue Bradford 
: Is the Minister aware that the Gambling Bill was discussed last week at the Association of Child and Family Support and Community Services conference at which a resolution was passed supported by over 100 social service agencies working for families and whanau calling for a ban on Internet gambling given the harmful effects that gambling has on families; if not will he be consulting the Hon Ruth Dyson who was at the conference? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I always speak to my colleagues. Ruth Dyson is a very good Minister; and of course when one speaks to Ministers one gets all sorts of useful information. 
Marc Alexander 
: Does the Minister agree that amendments negotiated by United Future—to make the process of setting the problem gambling levy more accountable—are a positive change that will ensure that tax dollars are spent not only cost-effectively but in a way that ensures that those most in need will get help? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Yes. The United Future Party has been very positive all the way through and it has come up with some very good ideas which the Government has been prepared to adopt. 
Sue Bradford 
: Will the Minister be changing the Gambling Bill to respond to calls made by the New Zealand Council of the Labour Party to allow local authorities to apply local gambling venue policy to all gambling venues in the area—not just the 16 percent of venues that according to Department of Internal Affairs figures were licensed after October 2001; if not why not? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I will not be responding to those calls because matters that are decided by the council are its own business and in-house. 
Marc Alexander 
: Can the Minister confirm that thanks to United Future’s support local communities including emergency rescue services sports and recreational clubs and church-based social service providers will all be able to continue to be funded—an outcome less certain had the Greens succeeded in centralising and bureaucratising the distribution of profits from gaming? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Yes I am very much in agreement with that. I have to say that the Greens could have played a bigger part but they decided to take their ball and go. 
Sue Bradford 
: Does the Minister not consider that members of the New Zealand Council of the Labour Party and the people it represents are worth listening to? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: All Labour people are worth listening to and I say to everyone in the House: “Listen on!” 
Sue Bradford 
: What answer does the Minister give to the 15 district and city councils that under the bill will not be allowed to exercise control over a single gambling venue in their area because all those venues were licensed before October 2001? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I say that those councils are very lucky they have not had new machines installed since 17 October 2001. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Supplementary question Sue Bradford. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not quite know what is happening here—it is like ping-pong. You are calling Sue Bradford before she has even stood to seek a call. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Green Party always—and I congratulate it—indicates to me how many supplementary questions it has on a particular question. Sue Bradford told me the number and that is why I am calling her. But she does not have to take the call if she does not want to. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You might approve that process but to add your endorsement of it is in my view entirely wrong particularly as it evinces this: that here we have a party that has no regard to the nature of questions whatsoever. It just comes along here like some robotic institution and asks the same number of questions planned for at the start of the debate. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That might be the member’s opinion; it is not mine. 
Sue Bradford 
: With regard to a reply made earlier to Mr Alexander is the Minister not aware of repeated efforts by the Green Party to communicate with his office and with the Labour Party about the Gambling Bill subsequent to its being reported back from the select committee? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I have made briefings on the bill available to any party that wants them and those who have asked for them have been given them.