Transcript: PQT Commentary Tuesday July 9 With @ClareCurranMP & @CitizenBomber

At 2pm Tuesday PQT host Martyn Bradbury was joined by MP Clare Curran: (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:

1:51 PM Martyn Bradbury: Welcome to Parliamentary Question Time

1:55 PM Martyn Bradbury: Clare Curran joining us life from the debating chamber at 2pm

1:56 PM Martyn Bradbury: She will be doing this weeks live commenatry session

2:00 PM Martyn Bradbury: Speaker making his way to the chair

2:00 PM Martyn Bradbury: Prayer

2:01 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question

1: METIRIA TUREI to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he agree with the Department of Internal Affairs’ advice to his officials on the proposed international convention centre that

2:02 PM Martyn Bradbury: “virtually any of these proposed concessions would almost certainly be followed by an increase in the number of people seeking help citing problems linked with casino machines or casino table games”;

2:02 PM Martyn Bradbury: if not, why not?

2:04 PM Martyn Bradbury: Government having to defend the harm from extra gambling

2:05 PM Martyn Bradbury: Effectively their position is that they don’t really care, they’ve got a nice new convention center

2:06 PM Martyn Bradbury: Joyce claims it is too difficult to quanithy the negative impacts of gambling

2:07 PM Martyn Bradbury: Clare Curran still logging in from Parliament

2:07 PM Clare Curran: I’m on

2:07 PM Clare Curran: Ok I’m on

2:07 PM Martyn Bradbury: Welcome Clare

2:07 PM Clare Curran: Apologies for lateness. Blame Parliament connectivity

2:07 PM Martyn Bradbury: Mr Joyce having a hrad job of justifying his dirty casino deal today

2:08 PM Clare Curran: Govt benches looking grim

2:09 PM Martyn Bradbury: It’s not really a deal they can celebrate is it?

2:09 PM Martyn Bradbury: Crony capitalism + gambling + legislation up for sale = grim faces

2:10 PM Martyn Bradbury: Why won’t they let it be a conscience vote?

2:10 PM Clare Curran: This government has no conscience

2:11 PM Clare Curran: Metiria talking about the 71,000 people effected by problem gambling, half of whom are children

2:12 PM Martyn Bradbury: Question

2: JAMI-LEE ROSS to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the Government’s financial position – particularly progress in reaching its target of returning to fiscal surplus

2:13 PM Martyn Bradbury: This governments mad focus on surplus over people isn’t helping the 270 000 children in poverty is it?

2:14 PM Martyn Bradbury: Great we will be in surplus while inequality soars – not much of a win is it, unless you are already rich

2:15 PM Clare Curran: Bill English delivering the government’s propaganda

2:16 PM Martyn Bradbury: When you consider Jami-Lee Ross wants to legalize scab labour, it’s no surprise he is only focused on surplus and not jobs

2:16 PM Martyn Bradbury: Good question by Parker

2:16 PM Clare Curran: The real record of the government is that more kids are in poverty and we are not growing our economy

2:17 PM Martyn Bradbury: DAVID SHEARER to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements?

2:17 PM Clare Curran: He conveniently disagrees with any reports which don’t support his propaganda

2:17 PM Martyn Bradbury: David Shearer pushing power prices

2:17 PM Clare Curran: John Key thinks our power prices are “fair”

2:18 PM Martyn Bradbury: with the freezing winter, many NZers will be looking at their incredibly high power prices and asking why

2:18 PM Clare Curran: Does John Key read his papers?

2:19 PM Martyn Bradbury: Shearer on a roll

2:19 PM Martyn Bradbury: Government vulnerable to the issue of electricity prices

2:20 PM Clare Curran: So we are all paying an extra $370 a year for power because Transpower is required to pay a dividend to the govt

2:20 PM Clare Curran: John Key doesn’t know if this is true

2:21 PM Clare Curran: Surely they would be looking at ways to bring down the price of power. Families are paying too much

2:22 PM Martyn Bradbury: Winston throwing a cheap shot at National

2:22 PM Clare Curran: Shearer asks why our prices are continuing to rise?

2:23 PM Martyn Bradbury: Key grumpy with Winston

2:23 PM Martyn Bradbury: CLAUDETTE HAUITI to the Minister for Economic Development: What progress has the Government made on establishing an international standard convention centre in Auckland?

2:24 PM Martyn Bradbury: It’s a sad day when an MP from the very culture who are hurt so badly from gambling has to ask a patsy sucking up to the convention centre

2:25 PM Clare Curran: Building a convention centre on the bodies of problem gamblers

2:25 PM Clare Curran: Is Claudette’s party positioning her on this issue?

2:26 PM Clare Curran: Clayton’s question will be good

2:26 PM Martyn Bradbury: ugly to use her in that way

2:27 PM Martyn Bradbury: Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statements regarding Solid Energy and the Future Investment Fund “Well, again I think he’s saying that technically it was in the rules

2:27 PM Martyn Bradbury: it might be possible. I haven’t actually seen – can’t recall either seeing [indistinct] and marked those things that are in the budget is an allocation process” and “If Bill’s saying it’s there, there

2:27 PM Martyn Bradbury: might be a [indistinct] allocation”?

2:27 PM Martyn Bradbury: Why are we selling assets to bail out clowns?

2:28 PM Clare Curran: Clayton seeks clarification. Get’s insulted by Key who always lashes out when he doesn’t have an answer

2:28 PM Martyn Bradbury: Key punches belwo the belt

2:29 PM Clare Curran: How about addressing the question and not avoiding it?

2:30 PM Clare Curran: John Key loses his temper

2:30 PM Martyn Bradbury: Are going to get an answer to that question or not?

2:31 PM Clare Curran: Doesn’t look like it. It’s called a diversionary tactic

2:31 PM Clare Curran: Key doesn’t want to answer these questions because he has told the country lies.

2:32 PM Clare Curran: Either asset sales money has been or it hasn’t been appropriated for Solid Energy

2:32 PM Martyn Bradbury: Mr Key seems to be speaking out of both sides of his mouth – are we going to sink more money into Solid Energy or not?

2:32 PM Clare Curran: CLayton delivers the punchline with a Cabinet document proving that the money is coming from the Future Investment Fund

2:33 PM Clare Curran: John Key dances on the head of a pin

2:34 PM Clare Curran: Oh and the govt blocked him from tabling the Cabinet document

2:34 PM Martyn Bradbury: KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI to the Minister of State Services: What progress is being made toward the achievement of the Government’s Better Public Services targets?

2:36 PM Martyn Bradbury: apparently the Government is doing an amazing job of the public service – yet our inequality rates are soaing

2:37 PM Clare Curran: I think if an independent survey of pblic servants was undertaken you’d find low morale and some very stressed workers

2:37 PM Martyn Bradbury: Hon DAVID PARKER to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement “The Government decides what the Future Investment Fund is spent on”?

2:38 PM Clare Curran: The Trasury is wrong says Bill English! Everyone is wrong except himself and John Key

2:38 PM Martyn Bradbury: Let’s hope David Parker can get an answer if we are blowing asset money on Solid Energy

2:38 PM Clare Curran: They don’t like these questions

2:38 PM Clare Curran: Steven Joyce has his head down. As does Key

2:39 PM Clare Curran: Let us table the papers Bill

2:39 PM Martyn Bradbury: Why are we subsidising irrigation by selling assets when Dairy is doing so well? Surely they can pay for their own irrigation?

2:39 PM Clare Curran: How many times are you spending the money from asset sales Bill?

2:41 PM Clare Curran: Oh now Bill English is blaming Labour for Solid Energy’s demise! Are they asleep? They are the government!

2:43 PM Martyn Bradbury: Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements on the recent controversies around the GCSB; if so, why?

2:43 PM Martyn Bradbury: what does Winston know?

2:44 PM Clare Curran: John Key’s staff doesn’t communicate with him

2:45 PM Clare Curran: when it suits him

2:45 PM Martyn Bradbury: That’s interesting did Key admit to knowing something before the date he has stated?

2:45 PM Clare Curran: I can’t recall. To the best of my knowledge. These are the answers he uses to deflect us. Does anyone believe him? Does he even care whether we believe him

2:46 PM Clare Curran: The answers will be revealed in court

2:46 PM Martyn Bradbury: EUGENIE SAGE to the Minister of Conservation: Does he agree with former Otago Conservation Board chairwoman, Associate Professor Abby Smith, who said restructuring at the Department of Conservation

2:46 PM Martyn Bradbury: has left it “dead in the water”; if not, why not?

2:47 PM Martyn Bradbury: Government really gutting DoC

2:47 PM Clare Curran: This is a really serious issue given the critical conservation values of this part of the world

2:49 PM Clare Curran: Eugenie using Treasury papers information. Nick Smith describes this as Green Party rhetoric! So Treasury is full of greenies?

2:50 PM Clare Curran: Nick Smith refusing to acknowledge the evidence.

2:51 PM Martyn Bradbury: MIKE SABIN to the Minister of Justice: What new initiative is the Government undertaking to fight crime and drug addiction?

2:51 PM Martyn Bradbury: but none of this money has gone to that

2:52 PM Clare Curran: Will any of these projects include addiction to synthetic cannabis?

2:53 PM Clare Curran: Becasue if it doesn’t then the government has jsut
massively shot itself in the foot. About to pass a law banning psychoactive substances.

2:54 PM Martyn Bradbury: Hon TREVOR MALLARD to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What actions is he taking to minimise the harm from gambling?

2:55 PM Martyn Bradbury: none I take it?

2:55 PM Clare Curran: Nathan Guy struggling to answer

2:56 PM Clare Curran: The Speaker helping him out

2:57 PM Martyn Bradbury: CHRIS AUCHINVOLE to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What progress has been made toward the Government’s targets for delivering more services online?

2:59 PM Clare Curran: Whoops I always get Nathan Guy and Chris Tremain mixed up.

2:59 PM Clare Curran: Are they twins?

3:00 PM Martyn Bradbury: they are interchangable

3:00 PM Clare Curran: I don’t think he’s read the Regulatory Impact Statement

3:01 PM Martyn Bradbury: how can Flavell stand up and ask that when his bill has been gutted?

3:02 PM Clare Curran: Sounds as if there is a bill. Not sure Chris Tremain understands whose bill it is!

3:02 PM Clare Curran: That made no sense at all!

3:03 PM Martyn Bradbury: will we see voting on line any time soon Clare?

3:04 PM Martyn Bradbury: If we know Government department is very weak in online security how can we trust ‘Real Me’?

3:04 PM Clare Curran: I support voting online in principle

3:04 PM Clare Curran: How many thousands of NZers have been affected by data breaches?

3:04 PM Martyn Bradbury: exactly

3:04 PM Clare Curran: He won’t answer that question

3:05 PM Martyn Bradbury: Thank you for your time Clare – we will see you tomorrow at 2pm

3:05 PM Clare Curran: THis is a good idea Bomber. Hope you continue with it.

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