Mallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Mallard Trevor: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:653;Page:2148] 
2. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) 
 to the  
Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee 
: When and how did he become aware that John Judge was unable to appear at the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee on the 2007-08 ACC financial review? 
DAVID BENNETT (Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee) 
: 
 I had not asked Mr Judge to appear but he will be appearing next week for that member’s information. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member was asked when he became aware that John Judge was unable to appear. 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I ask you to think about that because that assumes that the member has made a request for Mr Judge to appear. The member has made it very clear that he has not asked him to appear. So why would he in any circumstances in his role as chair from that point be worried about whether Mr Judge was available? He did not ask him. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: That might be fine other than the fact that the Minister for ACC told reporters that— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will resume his seat. Points of order must relate to procedures and order. The interesting issue that has been raised by the Hon Gerry Brownlee is whether the chair of the board’s coming to such a meeting is something that is done specifically at the invitation of the chair of the committee or whether it is a normal process that is followed for the chair of the board to come to a meeting. It may be that the chair of the committee would be advised whether that normal process was not being followed in this case. I simply invite the member to give a further answer if he can to the primary question from the Hon Trevor Mallard as to when he became aware that the chair of the board would not be attending the meeting. 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You are putting the chairman of the select committee in a very difficult position. The Government made the decision early in the week to remove the chair of the Accident Compensation Corporation board from the board. At that point it would have been abundantly clear that the chair of the board was not attending the meeting. The question is whether Mr Judge was invited. The member— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member is digressing as far as the Hon Trevor Mallard did. 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: No— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: If that is the case then the member can easily say that he became aware of that when the Government made its announcement. It is not very difficult. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. On that last point I think one should be mindful of course that it all depends on who was actually the chair at the time— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: —but that is not the point I am trying to make. I think you actually raised by inference a very important issue which I think you should think about as the defender of this House and of the proceedings of Parliament. When a State-owned enterprise or a major Government entity is called to appear before a select committee I believe that it should be the assumption that the chair of that organisation will attend unless the committee has been notified why for good reason the chair cannot attend. Otherwise I believe that such people would be treating the select committees of this Parliament with some degree of contempt. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I do not need to hear more on the general issue. The member has raised I think an interesting general point of order that maybe the Business Committee or the Standing Orders Committee of the House could reflect on. I do not think that it is for my consideration right now but the member has raised what is certainly a genuine point of order. I invite the honourable member to reply. 
DAVID BENNETT 
: I did not ask Mr Judge to appear; therefore I was unable to know when he was able to appear—as Mr Brownlee pointed out in his point of order on that question just before. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Did on the night before the meeting Mr Bennett become aware that Mr Judge was cycling in the South Island; if so did he become aware of that from the Minister? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: I am not aware of what Mr Judge was up to at that time. But we had the Minister appear before the committee and I should imagine that Labour members would have been very happy to have the Minister come and answer the questions about the accident compensation portfolio.