Prebble barred for calling Goff a liar

Act leader Richard Prebble was suspended from Parliament yesterday after accusing Foreign Minister Phil Goff of lying to the House.

Mr Goff had enraged Mr Prebble with his answer to a question on whether he could confirm that Air Force chief Air Vice-Marshall Don Hamilton was opposed to Air Force redundancies and the disbanding of the air combat wing.

Mr Goff, replying on behalf of Defence Minister Mark Burton, said he could not confirm that and proceeded to go back over defence decisions the previous National Government had made.

Mr Prebble protested to Speaker Jonathan Hunt that "the minister's answer raises quite a serious constitutional issue and that is that ministers take responsibility for departments and also in this House they take responsibility for actions that they have [made] and defend civil servants.

"It is outrageous for that minister to stand in this House and say that he doesn't know what apparently every other MP knows: the Chief of Air Staff was totally opposed to the Government's decision to cancel the strike force and ... I actually think Mr Goff was lying to the House when he says he doesn't know that."

When Mr Hunt ordered him to withdraw and apologise for the accusation, Mr Prebble did, but immediately suggested that Mr Goff "stand up and defend our Armed Forces".

Mr Hunt called order and was saying he believed Mr Goff had given a satisfactory answer when Mr Prebble said: "No one believes him."

Mr Hunt told Mr Prebble to leave the House but the Act leader continued talking, repeating that "he [Mr Goff] is lying to the House".

Mr Hunt ordered him to leave and put a motion to suspend him, for a day, which was passed 66-54 with the support of Labour, the Alliance and the Greens.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters labelled the exchange "extraordinary".

"If that is what is allowed, for a minister to get up and say that he doesn't know when, clearly, as a cabinet member he must know ... then any old answer like 'rhubarb' would be satisfactory from here on in," he told Parliament.

National MP Max Bradford said that the actions of the Coalition and the Greens in voting to have Mr Prebble suspended were a "lamentable step in this House".

Mr Hunt, however, said he encouraged and allowed vigorous debate but Mr Prebble's comment that Mr Goff had lied went too far.

"The member made the statement. I allowed him to withdraw and apologise. He then made the statement at least two or three times again. That cannot be allowed to continue."

Mr Prebble said outside the House that Mr Goff's statement that he could not confirm the Air Force chief's opposition to the cuts was an "outrageous lie ... the public will think it extraordinary that a minister can tell an outrageous lie to Parliament and then an MP is thrown out for telling the truth."

Mr Prebble said he believed he would lose a day's pay. During his suspension he could not enter the debating chamber, vote, serve on a committee or lodge questions or notices of motion.

- NZPA