PQ 3. Prime Minister—Communications with Blogger and Report on SIS Release of Information
[Sitting date: 02 December 2014. Volume:702;Page:3. Text is subject to correction.]

3. ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister : Does he stand by any of his statements last week about the Gwyn report and about his relationship with Cameron Slater?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Yes.

Andrew Little : Does he stand by his statement that he “did not mislead people” when he said that Cameron Slater “ … sent me a text one time and I can’t remember when it was”, given they had exchanged texts the evening before?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY : Yes.

Andrew Little : Why has he maintained a political relationship with Cameron Slater since the release of Dirty Politics?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY : For the most part I think I have made the point that I have not. I have not had a proactive relationship with him. [Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER : Order! The Leader of the Opposition wants to ask a further supplementary question.

Andrew Little : In light of Bill English’s statement that Dirty Politics “isn’t the style of politics I participate in”, why does he think Mr English is distancing himself from the Prime Minister’s style of politics?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY : I think Mr English is quite correct. We do not undertake that on this side of the House, but if I could just take a moment to catalogue the long list from the left. Shall we start with the H-Fee, or shall we go to some of the other actions that we have seen, like Phil Goff leaking reports to try to get a better spin. Or should we go through to the person from the Labour Party—

Mr SPEAKER : Order! I do not think that answer is actually going to help the order of the House.

Andrew Little : Why does he delete records of his text conversations with Cameron Slater? Is it standard practice to delete records of his smear machine, as revealed in both the Gwyn and Chisholm reports?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY : I do, on an ongoing basis, delete all of my text messages. I do that for a very good reason because, amongst everything else, they would clog up my phone, but for security reasons, it is in case I lost my phone.

Andrew Little : In light of his statements this morning that he has nothing to fear from Cameron Slater releasing their communications, will he now request that Mr Slater release those records?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY : No. [Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER : Order! [Interruption] Order! Now I have got trouble with noise from my right-hand side, as Mr Little attempts to ask his supplementary question.

Andrew Little : Why, a week on from the inspector-general’s report, has it taken this long for the Prime Minister to admit his true political relationship with Cameron Slater; and why will he not just front up and tell New Zealanders straight what he has been up to in his office?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY : I have been clear. As I said last week, it is not a proactive relationship. The member obviously has real issues with it, so here is a little question for him: has he made it quite clear to some members of his caucus? Has he made it quite clear to his acting chief of staff? Has he made it quite clear to all members of the Labour Party that they should have no contact with Mr Slater? And can he answer this question: when was the last time that they did? [Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER : Order! [Interruption] Only if I call the honourable member to do so.

ENDS

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