Hide Rodney: Local Government (Rating Cap) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Hide Rodney: Local Government (Rating Cap) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:617;Page:12691] 
RODNEY HIDE (ACT) 
: 
 That was Mrs Jill Pettis the senior Government whip giving Parliament a 10-minute lecture on consulting the community—thatfrom a Government that manages to unite Maori and have them march from all over Aotearoa! There were 15000 people on the front steps of Parliament and the Prime Minister Helen Clark was hiding under her desk in her office in the Beehive too scared to go out to talk to the community the Maori people and the people who voted Labour. 
Government members turn round and say that they consult the community. “We talk to the community.” they say but when the people turn up Helen Clark is hiding under her desk too scared to come out from under it let alone go on the steps of Parliament where I am proud to say every ACT MP was. We front up I tell Mrs Jill Pettis so she need not come into this Parliament and talk about consultation. When 15000 Maori want to talk to the Prime Minister I would have thought that a Prime Minister with balls would be out there talking to them. 
We heard from Chris Carter about his consultation and what the people want. We discovered that when the Minister of Local Government talks to the people he talks to the councils. He talks to the villains of this piece. He does not talk to ratepayers taxpayers pensioners or hard-working families. No he swans off on the local government cocktail circuit. That is what he does. They have a cocktail together and they ask: “Why are the people complaining? It’s a great Government. Here have another drink have another sandwich have another meal.” That is what is happening with this Government. 
I ask the Minister of Local Government why he does not talk to the people who are paying for local government rather than to local government—which is the beneficiary of big rate hikes. What did the Minister of Local Government come here to report? He said that councils do not like not being able to put up their rates by 30 percent a year. Well that is a surprise is it not? Then he happened to say that people want that to happen. Well which people? I look across to my colleagues in New Zealand First and to Jim Peters. Does he remember people in Northland and Auckland being consulted about their rate increases? No. I look across to Mr Benson-Pope. Does he remember the people of Dunedin being consulted about their rates increase? 
Hon David Benson-Pope 
: Yes. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: Oh he does! What was the result? 
Hon David Benson-Pope 
: They know about the public process. 
RODNEY HIDE 
: He knows about the public process. Already Mr Benson-Pope is backing off. We know he does not think before he opens his mouth in this House. That is why they had to take the whip’s job off him actually. No one in his own team liked him. He could not get them to do anything. One way to sack a whip is to make him a Minister. That is what they did. What a desperate tawdry Government it is and it will be measured. 
Russell Fairbrother 
: Is this an election speech? 
RODNEY HIDE 
: The member can bet it is because an election is just around the corner with the way Helen Clark is running things. I look forward to debating with Mr Russell Fairbrother why his constituents have to pay more and more rates because he would not stand up for them and vote for my bill. He would not even vote for my bill to go to a select committee so that the people of New Zealand could make submissions. The Government does not want to hear from Grey Power does it? Why not let Grey Power make a submission on my bill? Why not test it? Did anyone hear an explanation from this Government as to why Grey Power cannot make a submission turn up to Parliament and give its views on this bill? The Government is a disgrace. It is about time it was gone.