Hide Rodney: Crown Minerals Amendment Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Hide Rodney: Crown Minerals Amendment Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:610;Page:7626] 
RODNEY HIDE (ACT NZ) 
: 
 It is very clear to this side of the Committee that this Labour Government does not have any respect for Parliament. We have had a set of revolving Ministers in the chair; it just depends whose turn it is. It would appear that their attention span is about 10 minutes because then another one has to be brought in. Not one Minister has stood up to speak to this bill. The bill was brought in by the Hon Harry Duynhoven; he has gone. When members on the Government side get an opportunity to speak all that they do is move that there be no debate. What sort of Parliament is that? 
There are things to debate because we are discussing the commencement date which—[ 
Interruption 
] Jill Pettis is now trying to pick me up for a dinner date. No thanks I say to her; it would be a cold day in hell before I did that but I appreciate the offer. I know how sad it must be for her to find a man in her caucus to go out to dinner with her. 
Clause 2 states: “This Act comes into force on the day after the date on which it receives the Royal assent.” One would think that when this bill came into force the principal legislation would be changed but if we read on we discover that no it was changed on 19 September 2002. Mr Brent Catchpole of New Zealand First is quite right. Only a Labour Government could think it could legislate away time. It is very interesting that the bill came from the Hon Harry Duynhoven who thinks he can legislate away the Electoral Act and secure himself a place in history. I say to you Mr Chairman that I am speaking to the commencement clause. If you want to wave your arms around indicating the size of the fish you caught last weekend or anything else and bragging to Jill Pettis that is your business but I am speaking to the commencement date. 
The date of 19 September 2002 is significant because that is when the “former” Minister the “former” MP for New Plymouth the Hon Harry Duynhoven put out the press release. Imagine the significance of that date in terms of our Parliament and our legal process! He announced his legislation before it was written. He announced his legislation before anyone saw it. He announced it before it came to Parliament. He said: “I’m the Minister. Some time in the future if I’m still an MP if I’m still a Minister I will bring a bill to this Parliament and we might pass it but in the meantime I am the Minister I am God Almighty and I’ve changed the law.” And that is what happened because the real commencement date of this bill under this Labour Government is 19 September 2002 not the day after it receives the royal assent. 
In fact what we are doing here is legislating a lie. That is what this Government is doing. It is legislating a lie because this bill and this decision came into effect last year. It is just that poor old Harry Duynhoven had not caught up with that just as he had not caught up with a few old minor technical details in the Electoral Act. The Dutch Minister in the Labour Government announced the commencement date of this bill and it is not when it passes through the House; it is 19 September 2002. We on this side of the Committee say it is disgusting that the property rights were taken away it is disgusting that the courts were overturned it is disgusting that it was done by press release and it is disgusting that it was done by an MP who under New Zealand law cannot sit in this House now. 
So we are given a pass-the-parcel approach in terms of Ministers sitting in the chair and not one of them is prepared to discuss why this legislation “comes into force on the day after the date on which it receives the Royal assent.” when if we read further back we discover that it commenced on 19 September 2002.