Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s return to Question Time has begun with Green MP Chloe Swarbrick refusing to apologise for calling statements made by Luxon about the government's climate policy a “demonstrable lie”.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s return to Question Time has begun with Green MP Chloe Swarbrick refusing to apologise for calling statements made by Luxon a “demonstrable lie”.
It came amid questions from Greens co-leader Marama Davidson to Luxon about the Government’s climate change policies and recent comments by NZ First Minister Shane Jones, who doubted New Zealand would meet climate change targets.
As Luxon was speaking, Auckland Central MP Swarbrick could be heard saying Luxon’s comments were a “demonstrable lie”.
Accusing an MP of lying within the House was considered out of order and normally ended in the comment being withdrawn and an apology being offered.
However, Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee didn’t hear the comment so said it was up to Swarbrick to apologise if she said it. Swarbrick initially refused before claiming that her comment was in reference to the substance of the Government’s policies, not directed at Luxon himself.
Swarbrick received a warning from Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, who cited consequences if her comment was picked up by the House’s recording system, which could be going before the Privileges Committee.
Speaking after Question Time, Swarbrick didn’t answer directly when asked whether Luxon was a liar.
“Demonstrably, the content of that statement, as I said in the House, was a lie so far as there is an inconsistency between the flowery rhetoric that is being used and what is necessary to keep us from 1.5 degrees of warming.”
She also wasn’t clear on whether she would apologise if her actions meant she could be brought in front of the Privileges Committee.
“Ultimately, my point is that we have a responsibility as parliamentarians to tell the truth and I’ll work through any of the consequences that come through in the house as is necessary to keep the focus on the climate crisis and the existential threat that that poses to humanity and to all of the biodiversity that this Government [seems] intent on bringing down with us.”
Following Swarbrick’s comment in the House, Labour leader Chris Hipkins continued on his mission to point out differences between the Government’s policies and National’s former policy positions, this time about the firearms registry.
Reviewing New Zealand’s firearm legislation was housed in National and Act’s coalition deal.
Hipkins asked whether he agreed with the review of the registry or whether he agreed with National’s Mark Mitchell who had previously said the registry was justified.
Luxon said he agreed to review the registry to ensure it was working effectively.
Greens MP Chloe Swarbrick could be heard saying Luxon’s comments were a “demonstrable lie”. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Hipkins then asked Luxon whether he agreed with Act leader David Seymour, who said the coalition Government could “perhaps proceed” with his Treaty Principles Bill or whether he stood by his former comments that it wouldn’t go further than the first reading.
Luxon restated the agreement made in the coalition deal, that the bill would be supported through to first reading.
Hipkins asked if the first example of the new Government’s attempt to reduce waste to to introduce a bill it didn’t intend to support.
Luxon quipped back that it was “rich” for Hipkins to talk about waste given what he described as Labour’s wasteful spending while in power.
The protest, planned to start before midday, follows the delivery of a petition, signed by more than 14,000 people protesting the axing of Fair Pay Agreements, which made it easier for workers to band together to negotiate wages and working conditions.
“We are not going to sit on our hands while this Government takes away the biggest progress for workers in a generation,” Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff said in a statement yesterday.
“The Government will hear our voice loud and strong against this move, which its own officials say would disproportionately impact women, Māori, Pacific people, young people and disabled people.”
More than 100 people have gathered in front of Parliament to hear from union representatives, workers and MPs who opposed the Government scrapping FPAs.
Several MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori came out of Parliament to speak to the crowd.
New Green MP Efeso Collins said the Government’s 100-day plan was “100 days of nonsense” and said the repealing was stealing people’s Christmas and stealing from the next generation’s future.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said she had never been so disgusted with a government, aside from the one involved in the Foreshore and Seabed issue.
Labour Workplace Relations spokeswoman Camila Belich promised to reinstate FPAs when Labour returned to government.
The House moved into urgency last night as the coalition Government looked to rush through the repeal process of some laws Labour introduced while in power.
Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden believes FPAs are blunt tools to increase wages. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The House was currently in the final stages of debating the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (Economic Objective) Amendment Bill, which would remove the bank’s requirement to focus on lowering unemployment and instead solely focus on returning inflation to the 1-3 per cent target band.
Fair Pay Agreements were introduced by the Labour-majority Government just over a year ago. National and Act opposed it, saying it was “compulsory unionism” that harmed productivity.
Meanwhile, 90-day trials for businesses were first introduced under John Key’s National-led Government for businesses with fewer than 20 employees before it was extended to all businesses in 2010, a move then opposed vehemently and described by union leaders as the “biggest labour shake-up in 20 years”.
Labour in 2018 restored the trials to businesses with under 20 employees, among other measures, but now the new Government has vowed to return it to the original legislation.
National and Act both strongly opposed the Labour moves during its time in government and the policies were included in their coalition agreement. The policies are not mentioned in National’s agreement with NZ First.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
