[Sitting date: 27 November 2014. Volume:702;Page:1. Text is subject to correction.]

1. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Prime Minister : How many times this year, and on what dates has he had communications with Cameron Slater?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development) on behalf of the Prime Minister : My office has gone through my diary, and there is no record of any meetings with Mr Slater. However, in my capacity as Prime Minister, I attend a large number of events and it is possible Mr Slater may have been at one or more of those. Over the course of the year, to the best of my recollection, my contact with Mr Slater has not been in my capacity as Prime Minister except for on the following three occasions. No. 1: I wrote to Mr Slater on 7 November in relation to his privacy complaint. No.2: on Monday night I received an unsolicited text message from Mr Slater, and there was a brief exchange of texts, which have been publicly released. And No. 3: yesterday I communicated with Mr Slater, asking him to forward me his copies of the text messages so that they could be publicly released.

Hon Annette King : Given he said in September that “I took the liberty of changing my phone number.”, when he gave his new number to Cameron Slater, did he expect to maintain personal communications with him?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : My understanding is that he updated his number to virtually all his media contacts and did not give any thought as to the likelihood of seeking to receive communications from him or not.

Hon Annette King : Why did he tell journalists on Tuesday that Cameron Slater had “sent me a text one time, but I can’t remember when that was”, when he had engaged in a text conversation with Mr Slater the night before?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : He has actually addressed that matter with the media today. He acknowledged with them that he could have been more specific. At that stage he was—[Interruption] Well, he—[Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER : Order!

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : But at that stage he was late to get to the House. In fact, members may recall it was on Tuesday that he actually arrived at the House and Opposition members were berating him for being late and arriving after the prayer, so he was very aware he was late. He had been answering questions in relation to the Chisholm report, and he also assumed that that was what the question related to.

Hon Annette King : Is the “Jason” referred to in his conversation with Cameron Slater on 24 November one Jason Ede, and does this level of cosiness not demonstrate that he, Mr Slater, and Mr Ede are in close contact?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : Well, I think he is known to refer to most people by their first names, and it does not imply any particular level of endearment.

Hon Annette King : Can he assure this House that the conversation he had with Cameron Slater on 24 November, which he published last night, is complete and unedited?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : I understand that that is indeed correct.

Hon Annette King : Did he delete from his ministerial phone text messages from Cameron Slater that he received on 24 November?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : I am not sure whether it was his ministerial phone, but he definitely deletes all his text messages in case his phone is lost at any stage. That is why he contacted Mr Slater to ask for them to be provided if he had them, so that he could release them to the media.

Hon Annette King : Is the reason he has tried to cover up his relationship with Cameron Slater that it shows that he, his office, his staff, and his blogger are engaged in operating one of the most vile smear machines this country has ever seen?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : I think Annette has borrowed Andy Little’s lines this afternoon—a little angry.

Mr SPEAKER : Order! [Interruption] I do not need assistance. Could the Minister, in responding, address members of the House properly. It is not appropriate to address members simply by their Christian name.

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : As I was saying, I think Annette King has borrowed Mr Little’s lines for the day. In relation to—

Hon Annette King : They’re true.

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : No, they are not the truth, at all. They are not the truth at all. If there has ever been a vile machine on the ninth floor, it was when that member was in Government, and it was under Helen Clark, and when Grant Robertson was in the leader’s office.

Dr Russel Norman : In reference to his answer to the primary question, what exactly was it about the nature of the text messages that have been published, and which the Prime Minister has acknowledged he received as the Prime Minister, that defined them that he was acting in his role as Prime Minister rather than leader of the National Party when he received and exchanged those texts with Cameron Slater?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : I would say that would be because of the nature of the report that was under discussion. The member will recall that the report was under discussion because Phil Goff had leaked it to the media on the Monday, so it was being discussed up and down the country. I am assuming that that is possibly why Mr Slater texted the Prime Minister.

Dr Russel Norman : In light of the Prime Minister’s statement that he deletes all the other text messages he got from Mr Slater, how can he be confident that none of those text messages that would be in relation to his role as Prime Minister would be material, and hence should have been listed in answer to the primary question?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : He is confident on that in relation to the subject matter discussed.

Dr Russel Norman : How can he be confident on it when he has deleted all the text messages—how does he know what the content of all those text messages was; does he remember them all?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : I am assuming that he remembers the content of the conversations.

Rt Hon Winston Peters : Can the Minister confirm that as early as 23 October Mr Cameron Slater was leaking parts of that report?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : Sorry?

Rt Hon Winston Peters : One more time. Can he confirm—

Mr SPEAKER : Order! It is not—[Interruption]. Order! It only needs to be stated once, I am sure. The Minister has heard the question, unless the Minister did not—

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : Sorry, I actually did not hear it. That is why—

Mr SPEAKER : Then I apologise to both members. [Interruption] Order! Would the Rt Hon Winston Peters repeat the question.

Rt Hon Winston Peters : Can he confirm that as early as 23 October parts of that report were being leaked by Cameron Slater?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE : I am not sure what ministerial responsibility there would be, but I think I can confirm that “No.” is the answer to the question.

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