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NZ Parliament
October 12 2004
Questions for Oral Answer
Questions to Ministers
Inquiries—Resources
2. RON MARK (NZ First) to the Prime Minister: What is her Government’s policy on
initiating, conducting, and funding inquiries?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister): The Government considers any possible
inquiry on the basis of the circumstance and merits of each case.
Ron Mark:
When she said on Breakfast yesterday in relation to the abuse claims at the
Regular Force Cadet School: “You have very serious allegations ranging from
murder to gang rape, to violent assault.”, was she aware that both I and MP
Shane Ardern had brought the case of the Bain family and the shooting of its
son, cadet Grant Bain, to the attention of her Minister of Defence in May
2002, who dismissed it by saying: “I am now satisfied that the matter has
been dealt with as best it can be, given that it is some 21 years since the
tragic accident occurred.”?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK: Over the last couple of weeks, with the publicity from
the gentleman in Western Australia, some 85 people have come forward to the
office of the Minister of Defence to express an opinion about what happened
at the cadet school, and I understand that the gentleman who initiated the
publicity has probably received rather more contacts than that. That is
cause, given the range of allegations, for the Government to take the step it
took yesterday to move to set up an independent assessor.
John Carter: Why did it take massive media coverage before the Government was
prepared to take action on this issue, when her Government was approached on
this issue more than 2 years ago?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK: I seem to recall some comment, I think from Marilyn
Waring, who said that she took it up in her time as a Government member of
Parliament under a National Government. If members want to direct questions
to the Minister of Defence, they should do that, but, clearly, the range of
allegations in public at the present time requires the matter to be taken
further.
Ron Mark: Is it not a fact that allegations of abuse and ill-treatment of Regular
Force cadets were made public on 7 October 1975, and that the Labour
Government of that time saw no need for further investigations because the
military had clearly stated that such things were not condoned, and that “the
senior cadets responsible had been charged and punished”?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK: I have not the slightest idea whether the matter was
raised with the Government in 1975. It may well be that the Defence Force
said, as the member alleged, that those things were not condoned. The point
is that to some degree those things appear to have happened, and now a great
many people have come forward to express concern about the matter. That is
why an independent assessor should be appointed to look at it.
Ron Mark: Can the Prime Minister not understand the scepticism of people like
the Bain family when it comes to her Government’s reluctance to move on some
inquiries but seeming haste to move on others, so aptly summed up by Tony
Ellis, who said: “You complain to the ombudsman, he complains to Parliament
that he cannot get a prompt and impartial investigation, you go to the chief
district court judge, he says he is not resourced, you then go to the High
Court that takes months. If it’s soldiers at Waiouru you instantly get an
inquiry, but if it’s prisoners you can’t get anyone to do anything.”; does
that not sum up this Government’s approach to independent inquiries?
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK: The member will be well aware in respect of prisons that
the Government, at some expense, is inquiring into the alleged behaviour of
the “goon squad” at the prison in Christchurch. The Government will respond
when it sees it as being appropriate and in the public interest.
Peter Brown: Noting the Prime Minister’s answer to the principal question, how does
she suggest an inquiry is obtained into the Sydney Express - Maria Luisa
mishap—the shipping collision inside Wellington Harbour limits where five men
died, their families were denied an inquest or any formal public hearing, the
Transport Accident Investigation Commission and the Marine Safety Authority
colluded inasmuch as evidence was passed secretly from one to the other, and
thus far it has not been made available to anyone else; how does the Prime
Minister suggest we get a formal inquiry into that mishap, and will she
support such an inquiry?
Mr SPEAKER: There were three questions there. Two can be commented on.
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK: I will add that to the list I already have of the six
formal inquiries New Zealand First has called for in the past year.
Ron Mark: Can the Prime Minister enlighten the House as to why her Government,
if it is so concerned about charges and allegations of sexual abuse, has not
agreed to the ACT MP Deborah Coddington’s call for an inquiry into abuses at
health camps, which she has all the details for, quite clearly.
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK: I cannot say that I am aware myself of such a request.
If the member would like to forward the information she has to the
Government, it can be considered.
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