Points of Order — Parliamentary Press Gallery—Parliamentary Complex House—Procedures Parliamentary Press Gallery—Parliamentary Complex Government Business—Procedure 
Points of Order — Parliamentary Press Gallery—Parliamentary Complex House—Procedures Parliamentary Press Gallery—Parliamentary Complex Government Business—Procedure 
[Volume:638;Page:8305] 
Points of Order 
Parliamentary Press Gallery—Parliamentary Complex 
Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I wonder whether I could inquire through you of the Government whether the Deputy Prime Minister or other Ministers intend to make a statement to the House regarding the events that occurred last evening when a Chinese newspaper journalist was manhandled within the precincts of this parliamentary complex. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: That is not really a point of order. 
House—Procedures 
GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I need to ask you some questions that relate to the procedures of the House. I ask you to turn your attention to the current Order Paper which has some 13 Government items on it. We note that the Opposition by and large supports about seven of those and that five cannot be progressed because of coalition difficulties which makes the Order Paper in fact very very short indeed. I wonder Madam Speaker whether you could tell us whether it would be possible for the Government to use Standing Order 72 to suspend a large part of the Order Paper next week in order to progress to the next item of business—which conveniently happens to be the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill. That would give the House enough time to pass that bill—and would therefore take away all the difficulties that the current Government has in holding its numbers together on that bill—before Easter. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) 
: 
 That is a novel idea; I thank the member for his suggestion. But in order to do that—and the member will note that I have already added an item to the Order Paper as the Speaker outlined just this afternoon—one would have to move sequentially that each of the bills come after member’s order of the day No. 1 the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill. Of course the numbers would have to be available for those motions to be put as well. I am sure the member has thought that through. I am flattered by his suggestion to the media that for the last year I have managed the House’s business so rapidly entirely in order to prepare for the Crimes (Substitution of Section 59) Amendment Bill next Wednesday but I must admit that my degree of perspicacity is not as large nor as long-range as that. 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I have a new point of order— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Have you? Then does Gerry Brownlee want to speak further to the point of order he raised? 
GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
: 
 Yes Madam Speaker. I in fact asked you to consider whether such a move was possible. Although Michael Cullen may claim he has not thought of it I doubt that. I note that although the Government would claim that it has plenty on the Order Paper that raises the question of why on earth the House will spend time today in discussing such a self-congratulatory motion as that in Government notice of motion No. 1 on the Order Paper and also why the Government is so bereft of ideas that it has to go to the likes of Lynne Pillay in order to fill out the Order Paper. 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) 
: 
 I thank the member for raising this issue earlier on. Of course debating Government notice of motion No. 1 will give us a chance to find out whether National has done another massive flip-flop or whether it still opposes lifting 70 percent of the New Zealand kids who are below the poverty line out of poverty. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: As the member who raised the point of order knows Speakers do not rule on hypothetical questions relating to the Standing Orders. However I would note that the Standing Orders can always be suspended under Standing Order 4. 
Parliamentary Press Gallery—Parliamentary Complex 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Can you reassure the House that no accredited member of the parliamentary press gallery will be impeded for political reasons from covering events in Parliament that have been announced as being open to the media? I think it is important that there is a ruling on that matter because there is on tape a comment by a member of the police in these precincts saying that the Chinese officials told him that they will cancel the ceremony if Mr Nick Wang an accredited member of the press gallery remains there to take photos of the event. That is clearly political pressure from a foreign power on our Parliament and it cannot be accepted. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I thank the member. As I have already commented publicly I am receiving reports on that matter and I will act on it when I have got them. I hope to do so very quickly. 
Government Business—Procedure 
GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Have you had any indications from the Leader of the House as to when we might now expect to see on the Order Paper in the Government’s name the Fireworks Safety Bill from Marian Hobbs or for that matter the Health and Safety in Employment (ILO Convention 155) Amendment Bill in the name of Sue Moroney? 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) 
: 
 No but I can promise the member fireworks every day he cares to turn up in the House. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I do not think that was a point of order.