Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:621;Page:16596] 
1. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she have confidence in her Minister of Immigration; if so why? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Deputy Prime Minister) 
 on behalf of the  
Prime Minister 
: Yes because he is a hard-working and conscientious Minister. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How is it that this hard-working and conscientious Minister had his officials at the Finance and Expenditure Committee yesterday admitting that of the Afghan refugees refused by Australia from the MV  
Tampa  
three have already brought 11 people each into this country and how is it that Asha Ali Abdille can be claiming and demanding to bring in another 14 of her relations even though she is on a benefit and has a conviction record that would make Al Capone proud? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: On the latter matter I understand the Minister’s office has contacted Mr Peters and we look forward to cooperation on that matter in terms of establishing the facts. Members will note I am sure that Ms Abdille first got into the public arena because she was complaining of the harsh treatment by the New Zealand Immigration Service in demanding DNA testing on her supposed relatives—yet to be established whether they are her relatives. 
Keith Locke 
: Will the Prime Minister be suggesting to the Minister of Immigration that she issue a simple regulation change to the Immigration Act to make sure that Mr Zaoui can be released into the custody of the Dominican friars as proposed in a recent statement by one Catholic cardinal one archbishop eight Catholic bishops one Anglican archbishop and 10 Anglican bishops? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I suppose that would take him out of the pot into the friars but beyond that I am not terribly interested. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why was it that the Prime Minister’s hard-working and conscientious Minister of Immigration gave my office a phone call this morning asking me to provide him with the information for which he is paid a ministerial salary and has all the baubles of office—a ministerial home a full department a police force and a Customs Service—and why does she think this hard-working and conscientious Minister needs to be employed one more day given that clearly he cannot do his job? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: I have to say I am upset that the member is offended that somebody should seek his information and his advice on immigration matters. I thought he regarded himself as an expert on those things. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Why would the Prime Minister have confidence in any of her immigration Ministers who have been there since she came to power when they let in a known terrorist in three jurisdictions Switzerland France and Belgium—all with far higher legal status than that which is applied in New Zealand thus far—who could be out of prison tomorrow if he would only go back and join his family in Malaysia? 
Keith Locke 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. In the question Mr Peters referred to Switzerland. There was no court case or designation of Mr Zaoui— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member knows that is not a point of order. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN 
: The member is correct in stating that Mr Zaoui has had convictions in France and Belgium. I believe he was paid by Switzerland to go to live in Burkina Faso and he certainly had residence within Malaysia which is by no means a country that would be unsuitable one would have thought for a Muslim refugee. The fact is that Mr Zaoui claimed refugee status once he landed and under international conventions certain consequences have flown therefrom. If his lawyers had been avoiding the extremes of litigation we have seen this matter would have been settled long since one way or the other.