Headline: Transcript: PQT Commentary Wednesday July 3 With Gareth Hughes & Martyn Bradbury
At 2pm Wednesday PQT host Martyn Bradbury was joined by MP Gareth Hughes: (direct from the debating chamber) to take part in TDB Live’s Parliamentary Question Time feature PQT.
The following is a transcript of the commentary:
1:40 PM Martyn Bradbury: It’s 16 degrees in Wellington today
1:44 PM Martyn Bradbury: 77% humidity
1:45 PM Martyn Bradbury: a friendly 19km/h wind greets vistors to the Capital today
1:45 PM Martyn Bradbury: Gareth Hughes is our guest MP live from the debating chamber today at 2pm
2:00 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 1 DAVID SHEARER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements and have confidence in the statements of all his Ministers?
2:01 PM Gareth Hughes: Question Time kicks off.
2:01 PM Gareth Hughes: No prayer today because we are in urgency and in Parliamentary terms it is Tuesday
2:02 PM Martyn Bradbury: Key pushes off questions about electricity costs – points out Labour had its share
2:02 PM Martyn Bradbury: Labour could counter that they have learned the hard way and that’s why we need the Green/Labour policy on electricity
2:02 PM Gareth Hughes: its true but at least Labour has acknolwedged the current flaws and have a good plan for cheaper power – very similar to ours!
2:03 PM Martyn Bradbury: Key claims ‘Stalinism’
2:03 PM Gareth Hughes: Key tying himself in knots, can’t say if current prices are fair or not
2:03 PM Martyn Bradbury: I don’t think Key would have a grip on Satlinism if Stalin rose from the grave and bit him
2:04 PM Martyn Bradbury: Key doing a poor job of answering any questions – just school yard teasing
2:05 PM Gareth Hughes: shows how the response strategy is illogical attack
2:06 PM Martyn Bradbury: Metiria Turei questioning Key on pimping for a Casino
2:07 PM Martyn Bradbury: Met calling the deal dirty
2:08 PM Gareth Hughes: no personal/conscience vote on Sky City
2:08 PM Martyn Bradbury: Metiria showing how an Opposition asks questions
2:09 PM Gareth Hughes: calling it as it is
2:09 PM Martyn Bradbury: METIRIA TUREI to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he stand by the Prime Minister’s statement “the Government has been very transparent about its dealings with SkyCity”?
2:09 PM Gareth Hughes: PM refused to answer Metiria’s primary question, so he transfered it
2:10 PM Martyn Bradbury: Gerry is scrambling
2:12 PM Gareth Hughes: Key is trying to avoid answering on his own statement!
2:13 PM Martyn Bradbury: How hard do the greens have to work to just get a straight answer out of the Prime Minister!
2:14 PM Gareth Hughes: Quite a fair point from Metiria, what is Key’s reason?
2:15 PM Martyn Bradbury: Metiria schooling the Speaker
2:16 PM Gareth Hughes: Yeah the Speaker has made it harder to get straight answers
2:16 PM Gareth Hughes: I think it’s a few bad calls
2:17 PM Martyn Bradbury: Key avoids answering any questions about how corrupt or not his Sky City deal is
2:18 PM Gareth Hughes: The Speaker calls it ridiculous but thisis important – whether the opposition can ask the PM questions without them just being transferred away
2:19 PM Gareth Hughes: Metiria voluntararily withdraws her primary question because the PM won’t front and answer it
2:20 PM Martyn Bradbury: If Key has nothing to hide, he should front on it
2:20 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 3 ALFRED NGARO to the Minister of Finance: What recent developments have further contributed to building the closer economic market between New Zealand and Australia?
2:21 PM Martyn Bradbury: I don’t know about you Gareth, but NZ neveer seems to get its fair share out the NZ/Australia relationship
2:22 PM Gareth Hughes: It is dissapointing a question has to be given up in protest but shows Green strength of feeling that we should be able t ask the PM a straight question on an important public issue
2:22 PM Martyn Bradbury: NZers don’t have access to social services in Australia, we still have issues flying domestically inside Australia and we only just got our apples in
2:22 PM Gareth Hughes: Sorry, had to duck off the computer to move around our supplementary question allocation.
2:22 PM Martyn Bradbury: Her withdrawel of the question was the honourable thing to do
2:23 PM Gareth Hughes: sounds like good PhD thesis ‘ what has NZ got out of Trans-Tasman relationship
2:23 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 4 GRANT ROBERTSON to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her statements?
2:23 PM Gareth Hughes: Parata answering questions is always interesting
2:24 PM Martyn Bradbury: I have grown to like Grant Robertson more and more
2:24 PM Martyn Bradbury: He is very good in the house
2:24 PM Gareth Hughes: ….when she actually answers them!
2:25 PM Gareth Hughes: Yeah I agree
2:26 PM Martyn Bradbury: Cutting money for industry training in a recession as steep as the one we have faced seems like economic vandalism
2:27 PM Gareth Hughes: They should have increased training to help us have a more skilled workforce and prosper when we came out of recession
2:28 PM Martyn Bradbury: $83million taken out of Polytechs – ouch. How can National rage against Uni education whil cutting trades courses? When was education a hate crime?
2:28 PM Gareth Hughes: Robertson says 5 years under National and they should take responsibility for lack of tradespeople, Parata just passes the buck saying it’s not her portfolio
2:28 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 5 Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA to the Minister of Science and Innovation: What investment is the Government making in business-related science, innovation and research?
2:29 PM Gareth Hughes: Another patsy question no doubt written by Minister’s office
2:30 PM Martyn Bradbury: Steven Joyce as Minsiter of Science and Innovation – he’s like Dr Evil minus the phd
2:30 PM Martyn Bradbury: Where would investment go for a green economy Gareth?
2:31 PM Gareth Hughes: I’ve always wondered where the innovation was happening?
2:32 PM Gareth Hughes: Bit of a zinger from Joyce, just reminded me of Key forgetting Na’s name
2:32 PM Martyn Bradbury: Who would fund R&D under a green Government?
2:33 PM Gareth Hughes: do you mean Govt agency or public/private split?
2:33 PM Martyn Bradbury: both
2:34 PM Gareth Hughes: We took a plan for an extra $1B in Govt R&D funding over 3 years last election which I think was popular.
2:34 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 6 Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Finance: How much have investors lost on the value of their Mighty River Power shares compared with the price at float on May 10 and what effect will
2:34 PM Martyn Bradbury: this have on the price the Government expects to receive if it proceeds with the partial float of Meridian?
2:34 PM Gareth Hughes: We really do lag behind other countries in terms of public and private R&D and the Govt can show leadership and help build a smarter more prosperous economy
2:35 PM Martyn Bradbury: Where is the justice in just 2.5% of NZers owning assets that we once all owned?
2:35 PM Gareth Hughes: Merdian sale will be a lot harder than MRP for the Govt. They should just flag it and keep it Kiwi.
2:36 PM Gareth Hughes: No justice, just another hand-out to a small minority
2:37 PM Gareth Hughes: Parker rightfully points out how many times the asset money has been allocated to different projects
2:37 PM Martyn Bradbury: Nice dig by Parker
2:38 PM Martyn Bradbury: Shouldn’t the cost of the new assets like schools and public transport be paid through taxation as opposed to selling off our energy assets?
2:39 PM Martyn Bradbury: Parker pointing out the many mouths the National Party has spoken out of to explain where the money is going
2:39 PM Gareth Hughes: absolutely, they’ve been earning healthy returns and allow us to drive cheaper, cleaner power for Kiwis so it’s like buring the furniture to keep warm
2:40 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 7 Dr CAM CALDER to the Minister of Education: What reports has she received on the NCEA Level 2 results of last year’s school leavers?
2:41 PM Martyn Bradbury: Can not believe Hekia is holding up the successes of the very same public education system she is trying to dismantal
2:42 PM Martyn Bradbury: So what Hekia is saying is that our Public Education isn’t the terrible beast she’s trying to slay after all
2:42 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 8 DARIEN FENTON to the Minister of Labour: Does he stand by all his statements on safety in the forestry industry?
2:44 PM Martyn Bradbury: Darien pointing out the Minister isn’t listening to the real dangers within Forestry
2:45 PM Martyn Bradbury: Simon Bridges angry
2:45 PM Gareth Hughes: Terrible little episode, Bridge’s outburst about workplace deaths
2:45 PM Gareth Hughes: I’d rather a Minister angry and fired up about workplace safey not partisan point scoring in Parliament.
2:45 PM Martyn Bradbury: Attacking Helen Kelly doesn’t seem like a smart move
2:46 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 9 DENIS O’ROURKE to the Minister for Social Development: Does she consider the direct deduction policy of overseas pensions from New Zealand Superannuation under section 70 of the Social
2:46 PM Martyn Bradbury: Security Act 1964, to be fair and consistent?
2:46 PM Gareth Hughes: yes, I question a lot of what Bridge’s does. Seriously what has he done that is positive as a Minister, attacking protests, cosying up to oil, weakening industrial legislation….
2:47 PM Martyn Bradbury: National and NZ First squabbling over who loves elderly voters the most
2:47 PM Gareth Hughes: Interesting that Peters isn’t asking the NZ First primary question today
2:49 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 10: CHRIS HIPKINS to the Minister of Education: Has she read and understood each Cabinet paper she has signed off as Minister of Education?
2:49 PM Martyn Bradbury: This looks
good
2:49 PM Martyn Bradbury: Hekia only replying in Maori
2:50 PM Gareth Hughes: Great to see Te Reo in the House
2:51 PM Martyn Bradbury: Hekia looks like she has been caught out here
2:51 PM Martyn Bradbury: That will be interesting
2:51 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question 1
1: EUGENIE SAGE to the Associate Minister Health: Is the Minister concerned that in 2011/12 92,000 New Zealanders relied on drinking water supplies with an excessive number of E. coli breach
2:51 PM Martyn Bradbury: which are a marker of faecal contamination, and if not, why not?
2:52 PM Gareth Hughes: good Minister is concerned over faecies in our water
2:52 PM Martyn Bradbury: I saw an interesting interview with Fed Famers on Firstline
2:52 PM Martyn Bradbury: they said it had NOTHING to do with cow waste into water, he said it was the urban areas that were the problems
2:52 PM Gareth Hughes: An extra 20,000 Kiwis saw dodgy water!
2:52 PM Martyn Bradbury: counter comments to that Gareth?
2:54 PM Gareth Hughes: Less money for cleaner water under National but lots more for dairy intensification
2:55 PM Gareth Hughes: i haven’t read the report but I think we need to up our game on rural and urban water supplies
2:56 PM Martyn Bradbury: If we make a huge amount from Dairy, and there is a never ending thirst for a western diet rich in dairy, how do we riegn those interests in for the environment?
2:57 PM Martyn Bradbury: Final question COLIN KING to the Associate Minister Education: What recent announcements have been made to support digital literacy, particularly in low-income communities?
2:57 PM Gareth Hughes: we make sure we do it well. We ill never win racing other countries to damage our environment faster than they are, through things like cramming more cows on paddocks.
2:58 PM Gareth Hughes: we need to focus on valuable NZ clean green brand, value-add, niches to return higher returns
2:58 PM Martyn Bradbury: Nikki Kaye working hard here, most of these initiatives are positive?
2:58 PM Gareth Hughes: Digital literacy and the digital divide big issue facing NZ, the Govt just a drop in the bucket
2:59 PM Martyn Bradbury: Cheers Gareth – see you tomorrow at 2pm
2:59 PM Gareth Hughes: That’s it for today, back to Urgency. Thanks again for the opportunity.
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