Compare and contrast

Questions for oral answer, 27 July 2010:

Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he have targets or milestones to achieve income parity with Australia by 2025?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Economic Development): Yes

Questions for oral answer, 4 August 2010:

Hon Phil Goff: What are the targets or milestones to achieve income parity with Australia by 2025, which his Minister for Economic Development told the House last week that he had?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I understand that the Minister for Economic Development told the House last week that he was considering such matters... [snip points of order] I invite the member to set that down as a question for the Minister for Economic Development.

[much later]

Hon David Parker: Why did the Minister for Economic Development last week, in response to this question: “Does he have targets or milestones to achieve income parity with Australia by 2025?”, say “Yes.”, but this week refuse to say what they are?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE [standing in for Brownlee]: As I said in answer to the primary question, when the Minister made the remark last week he was giving that member what is technically known as a brush-off. The Government does have a milestone, and it is to achieve parity with Australia by 2025.

So, last week the Minister said clearly and unequivocally that there were targets and milestones. Yesterday, when repeatedly challenged to produce them, he said that there were not, and that the original statement was "a brush-off". It may well have been. But in that case, it was an utterly misleading answer, and a clear case of contempt of the House. While Lockwood Smith has raised the bar on this, requiring "a statement of some formality", one of his examples was an answer to a question on notice.

Ministers cannot be allowed to simply lie in answer to questions in the House. Labour should lay a complaint of breach of privilege against Brownlee for misleading the House. And if the Speaker once again sweeps this blatant breach under the carpet, then we voters should hold him and his party accountable.