PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) Link to this
Well, the new leader of the National Party has just made the same mistake as his predecessor, Don Brash, and as Dr Cullen has just made. He forgot to acknowledge that National will need a centre party if it wants to move from that side of the Chamber to the Government side. I have to say that I was, frankly, disappointed that Dr Cullen did not recognise or offer some thanks to his confidence and supply partners. We were not even amongst the people given thanks. [ Interruption] Oh, it is all right now; I am offended.
But we would like to thank the Labour Party. We needed it in order to get another 1,000 police officers in 2008. We needed it in order to get more support staff. We needed it in order to increase the superannuation return. We needed it in order to support us in the introduction of a golden age card. We needed it in order to achieve some significant increases in funding for ElderCare. We needed the Labour Party in order to get a review of immigration law in this country. We needed it to support us in order to get the minimum wage raised to $12 per hour, by the end of the term. We needed the Labour Party in order to implement some sound New Zealand First policies. We are grateful that it saw the light of day and supported us—even to the degree of getting a review of the Accident Compensation Corporation funding of physiotherapists.
We are going home—hopefully safely—for Christmas, as we do every year, and on behalf of New Zealand First, I would like to thank all the support people who assist us in Parliament. I thank you, Madam Speaker, your Deputy Speaker, and your two Assistant Speakers, basically for your fairness and your tolerance—and sometimes, I know, it must strain your tolerance keeping control of this place. We would like to thank the Parliamentary Service staff, the staff of the Clerk of the House, and all the Hansard people, who do such a great job. We also extend our thanks to the messengers, the security staff, and, indeed, Bellamy’s catering staff.
We also thank our support base, who from time to time are quite critical of New Zealand First.
Hon David CarterThere are so many, Mr Carter, that we would fill the largest stadium in this country if we got them all together at one go. We would particularly like to thank the people who have rung in and emailed us today for taking a positive stance on the Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill. There are people who have changed their minds and said that it is right that it should go to select committee. [ Interruption]
Madam SPEAKERThe National Party members are filled with Christmas cheer, so let them go a little bit. I say to those honourable members over there that they will get their opportunity to pull this bill apart—or put it together—at select committee. But there are members of the public who now recognise that the right thing to do is to send it to select committee so that they can have their say. They might disagree with it, but they will have their say. All day today we have been getting emails and telephone calls from people who share that view.
Yeah, right. I hope when we depart from this House we will have an enjoyable time. I know that I and my colleagues in New Zealand First intend to. From my point of view, I intend to become somewhat of a couch potato if my wife allows me. [ Interruption] I will be playing my fair share of beach cricket and beach volleyball, do not worry about that. I will be back here slim and ready to go next year. But I hope I can sit down and watch some sport on television, particularly British soccer. I hope I can see a match as stimulating as when Arsenal thumped the hell out of Spurs the other night, three nil. I look forward intently to the matches over Christmas.
On a final, serious note, I think we should spare a thought for the fact that some people will get involved in unsafe action, particularly on our roads, at this time. Undoubtedly some young people, in particular, will do something rather foolish on our roads. I urge them, if anybody is listening and concerned, to take it easy. Christmas is a festive season, and life is much more important than driving some car in reckless fashion. I hope—[Interruption] The member over there might think it is quite a frivolous matter. I get quite saddened, as perhaps he can tell, when I think that somebody who is alive right now will be killed on the roads between now and New Year’s Eve, or maybe shortly afterwards.
It is a sad aspect of Christmas, and we have to spare a thought for those people and the families that are involved with them, and, equally so, for the emergency services—the police and fire brigade, in particular—who will go out while we are enjoying ourselves somewhere in this country and pick up off our roads the pieces and the mess of somebody who has been quite reckless. I ask Parliament to take note that that will unfortunately occur, and it is worth reminding people that there is a sad side to this season.
I hope we all have an enjoyable break, I hope we all come back refreshed, and I hope we all come back prepared to do our very best for this great little country and its people. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader—Green) Link to this
Is it not extraordinary what Christmas can achieve in the House? I have a serious proposal to make, and that is that next year we have Christmas every second week, which will mean that the House will accomplish in 2 days what would normally take 4 or 5! Then we can finish the business of the House in 3 months and all go home for the rest of the year. I have certainly never seen legislation move as fast as it has in the last 2 days. I do not know whether it is because of the media’s Christmas party tonight—I notice they are all off preparing for it—or the attraction of the beach, but it has certainly changed things.
The year 2006 was when the New Zealand public, and even, to a small extent, the New Zealand Parliament, caught up with the rest of the world in respect of climate change. It was the year in which the March conference at Victoria University changed hearts and minds. We had international scientists here speaking, we had Al Gore’s movie, and we had Al Gore visiting. All of a sudden the National Party decided that maybe climate change mattered after all and changed its position. I congratulate National on that. There is nothing wrong with changing one’s position and finding that something matters after all. What matters now is what the policy will be, and we will watch for that with great interest. It was also the year in which Labour, having cancelled all its climate change policy last December, started again to write a new one. We are still waiting to see what that will be, though a few inklings have come out in the last week. At the moment both major parties in the House are without a policy on climate change, but we hope that 2007 will take us a lot further in that regard.
The year 2006 was when the price of petrol rose to $1.78 a litre, then dropped to $1.40. This is temporary—it will go up again and be over $2 a litre. It was the year when New Zealanders in record numbers left their cars at home and caught public transport, to the point that public transport could not cope; when the trains and buses in Auckland and Wellington were full at rush hour; and when the Government put another $1.5 billion into roads, on top of the ever-increasing road budget that we have anyway. New Zealanders have voted with their bums. They want better public transport, and next year is the year to have it. This was also the year in which greenhouse gases continued to rise inexorably.
This was also the year in which the depths of undemocratic political influence were exposed, not by Nicky Hager but by the email words of Dr Brash and his advisers. The same emails exposed the huge sums from the parliamentary leaders’ budget that the National Party spent on its election campaign in ways that were not audited by the Auditor-General. In 2007 we will have to deal with the question of campaign finance reform and proper election funding if we are to restore a democratic process whereby elections cannot be bought by either side of the House.
The year 2006 was when the death of the Māori Queen united a nation of Māori and Pākehā in recognition of the dignity and aroha of Māoritanga that make us different from every other nation. I have to contrast the effect on the national psyche of the tangi of Dame Te Ata with the effect on the national psyche of the Ōrewa speech.
The year 2006 was when the Government moved to break up Telecom’s monopoly over broadband and local lines. The Greens really welcome the fact that that will free up the communication system, which can do a great deal to take us past the age of cheap oil. It was also the year when 10,000 albatrosses and petrels were killed in the New Zealand longline fishery, when 115 Hooker’s sea lions were killed in the fishery, and when bottom trawling continued unabated, with 90 percent of the fishing fleet that destroys thousand-year-old corals in the South Pacific oceans being licensed in New Zealand.
This was the year that our overseas development assistance rose almost insignificantly to 0.27 percent of gross national income—far short of the OECD average of 0.42 percent and even further away from the official UN target of 0.7 percent. No one line item in the Budget affects the livelihoods and well-being of so many people. The consequences of our lack of generosity are highlighted by the instability that is now being experienced in some parts of the Pacific.
It was also the year in which it was reported that the number of overweight people in the world has overtaken the number of malnourished, for the first time. A billion people are considered to be heavier than is healthy for them. While almost one in six of the estimated world population of 6½ billion is now overweight or obese, about 800 million people do not have enough to eat. That is a big challenge for 2007.
It was a good year for the Greens. We have been polling third all year, without exception. We are the only third party that has polled over 5 percent all year without exception, and on the rolling poll we have consistently been a couple of points above our election night numbers. It was the first year that the Greens had the opportunity to run Government programmes—programmes that deliver towards the issues of climate change and healthy homes, that support local manufacturing, and that reduce the balance of payments deficit. Sue Bradford stood up for principle and established clearly that Buy Kiwi Made means “Buy products made in New Zealand.”, and that principle has been established. The solar water heating programme was launched, and by February we will see more solar water heaters going on to Kiwis’ roofs and reductions in electricity use, greenhouse emissions, and the cost of hot water. Tomorrow we are launching the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy for discussion, which takes another step on issues of climate change and energy. Our budget bids were successful, with significant funding for environmental education in schools and for an organic advisory service.
The six of us have eight bills before Parliament at the moment—that is more than one each. Those bills hold out the promise for more flexible working hours to help families; for the protection of our kids from violence by taking away the defence in the Crimes Act for beating children; for a revolution in the way we think about waste; for people with certain medical conditions who cannot be helped by other pharmaceuticals to have the benefits of medicinal cannabis to help them; for mothers in prison to soon be given the chance to bond with their babies; and for young people in the workforce to soon be earning equal pay with adults for equal work. There are many challenges to meet next year.
I wish all members a very restful break and a happy Christmas. I hope they come back with renewed energy. I thank all the colleagues I have worked with—my Green colleagues and those in other parties. I thank all the parliamentary staff, the messengers, the security people, the library staff, the Bellamy’s staff, the select committee staff, the Clerk’s Office, and—as Michael Cullen said so aptly—all those I have forgotten. Happy Christmas.
Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Māori Party) Link to this
As the newest cab on the rank, when members of the Māori Party looked on the Order Paper at this motion, we did wonder what we would talk about on the topic of the 2007 sitting programme. What fascinating account from our tribal histories could we share with the House? Was there an appropriate whakatauāki for today—what was the proverb for the occasion? Our ever helpful whip, Te Ururoa Flavell, came up with: “January, you start the year off fine. February …”—members can fill in the rest.
In all seriousness, it is my utmost privilege to speak today of the year that has been and the year that is to come. We have come to this forty-eighth Parliament to be the independent Māori voice in Parliament that our people were calling for. We believe we have done our best to maintain our traditions, to speak to the issues and policies—not the personalities—and to promote the message that every issue is a Māori issue. We have been pleased and proud to develop relationships with each and every political party in this Parliament. We have come to every bill charged with our hope to reinvigorate a sense of optimism for a better and more just future. We have raised issues that we know others would rather sweep under the mat. We have respected the advice of the United Nations special rapporteur and taken the time to ensure that this Parliament gives due consideration to the report that criticises the nature and extent of the way in which the Government has responded to indigenous human rights issues—a way that has greatly saddened us.
We have also sought to challenge the basis of some initiatives that were deemed untouchable, such as the vexed issues around Treaty settlements. We have taken out the microscope, looked for things Māori in the Budget, and found them missing. We have searched for the Treaty of Waitangi in the school curriculum—and searched in vain. We have risen in the House to pronounce our profound disappointment at legislation that has worked against the interests of Māori. But, against all odds, we could not, in our wildest dreams, have known that we would be celebrating 10 years of political leadership from Tariana Turia by the Foreshore and Seabed Act (Repeal) Bill being drawn from the ballot.
It has been a wonderful year. In every area we have asked how we can defend Māori rights and advance Māori interests for the benefit of the nation. Through it all we have been so very proud to recognise, by continually bringing them to the forefront, the unique contributions that Māori have made—and continue to make—to the nation. We have celebrated the entrepreneurship and the vision of tangata whenua. The regular visits we have made through our three nationwide tours this year and our ongoing constituency programme have sustained our momentum to ensure that people’s voices are heard.
Speaking of momentum, I turn to the greatest secret of Parliament: the vehicle for transformation that is represented in this very complex. I am talking about the incredible contribution made by members of staff right throughout Parliament. It is these staff who have helped us—the new cab—enormously and who have also taught us the rules. For example, there was the day when we overlooked the sacred timing—that half-hour period when questions are accepted. That was the day the House had 11 questions, for, grovel as we did, no leniency was allowed.
It seems there are some moments in the House when no mercy is shown. This extends to our wonderful press gallery. For example, when we, the Māori Party, had actively contributed to and voted right throughout the whole 12 hours and 49 minutes of the debate on the Appropriation (Parliamentary Expenditure Validation) Bill, all that was reported was the fact that at the final vote we were physically unable to be in the House. [Interruption] Who is that? I thought I heard a voice over there. Is that voice still in the House? Whom we have dinner with seems to have more fascination than our valiant efforts to pursue simultaneous translation or confront institutional racism.
When I was walking to our office this morning I was passed by Clarrie Goodhue and, not much later, Raymond Young as they sped along the corridors of power, humming in their work and always willing to help and support the parliamentarians in their role. Their constant enthusiasm, professional service, and unstinting work ethic are replicated so many times by so many levels of staff who come to work at the Beehive every day.
The Māori Party members thank, with all our hearts, the incredible efforts of our library staff, who have been so helpful in the face of numerous requests and absurd deadlines; the members’ service and human resources staff, who have kept us informed about what we can and cannot do; the Bills Office staff, who are always on hand to give out copies of all the bills and reports and keep us up with the play; the Table Office staff, who have been a godsend in helping us to have all the paperwork in order for tabling; the legal staff, who have guided us in the shaping of our members’ bills, our Supplementary Order Papers, and amendments; the messengers, who link us all to the outside world; the security staff, who walk our staff to their cars when they work late and open doors when we come running in at the crack of dawn; the telephonists; the travel office staff; the staff at Bellamy’s and Copperfields; the Hansard recorders; the interpreters; the building staff; the cleaners; and we are sure there are many more staff who keep the cogs of this democracy turning over—the silent worker bees in the hive. Each party, no matter how big or small, carries a similar parliamentary workload, placing considerable strains on the limited resources of the smaller parties. It is a workload that would be impossible to do if not for the staff of Parliament.
Finally, I come to the members of this Chamber. Madam Speaker, I thank you, the Deputy Speaker, and the Assistant Speakers, who have demonstrated enduring patience in helping us to learn the ropes so quickly. The Speakers have responded to the call of “please” from Mr Harawira, his hand raised as he attempts to eke out another minute from the clock to enable him to finish what he has so assiduously prepared. The Speaker smiled benevolently as Mr Flavell rose to his debate in full flight, delivering a well-crafted speech about a bill that was not on the Order Paper. He put his mistake down to the gift of matakite—a vision of knowing what was to come. What this House does not know is that the same member came into this House with two left shoes—not just once, but twice. Such is the over-brimming enthusiasm of our MPs to come down to Wellington that sometimes luggage is a mere triviality. The Speaker allowed me to slide into my seat, even if it was the wrong one, and still rise to speak, in full knowledge that the vote was just a breath away from being taken—for which I got fined.
We are also eternally appreciative of the masterly expertise of the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk of this House, who have been a vital resource in bringing us up to speed with the rigours of Parliament. To all the other members of this House—good people all—we thank them for the opportunity for our party, the mighty Māori Party, to share our ideas and aspirations for a vision of Aotearoa, a nation we are all here to serve. We have enjoyed the relationships that we continue to develop with individuals here—members and, in some cases, party leadership—so that we can work together in the best interests of this nation. We have thoroughly enjoyed our year, and with the benefit of, we hope, some rest over the summer, we know we will be back for more. We look forward to returning invigorated, energised, extremely well read, of course, in the Standing Orders, , and ,and, as an added bonus, even more tanned, having spent our time with whānau on the foreshore and seabed. Kia ora tātou.
JUDY TURNER (Deputy Leader—United Future) Link to this
I rise on behalf of United Future for this adjournment debate, and reflect on what has been a most interesting year. At one very important level it has been a good year for United Future. It is great to be in a party that gets to contribute and to advance its policies, issue by issue. As we finish this year we can cite the fact that a number of key discussion papers have now been tabled. One discussion paper reflects the largest review of business tax that this country has known for 20 years. A paper is now being circulated that invites charities to look at a new tax rebate regime that has been developed for charities, and we are seeking their input on that. Even this week a discussion paper has been tabled that is reflective of our supply and confidence agreement with the Labour-led Government, and that introduces some thinking around the development of a national medicines strategy. We in United Future do not see ourselves as supporting a Labour-led Government; rather, we see Labour as supporting United Future policies into existence.
On another level, it has been a bad year, and I would like to encourage members of this House over the summer adjournment to reflect on the conduct of this House. I suggest that there have been times this year when we would have been well served by having an age restriction on entry to the public gallery. I admit now to being asked by a school principal whether it would be suitable to bring his class to watch question time. Because of the behaviour at the time I said “No”, and he chose not to bring his class. One good thing, though, that has come out of that experience is that dialogue between the minor parties has opened up in a new way, and I think there is more to be discovered about how we, together, can influence outcomes in this House. I look forward to ongoing discussions in that regard.
Like other parties, I would like to thank those who help this Parliament to tick over. I would like to start with our own staff, who are a remarkable group of researchers, executive secretaries, and advisers. I thank our board and our party volunteers. I also thank the Parliamentary Service for the many ways in which it supports our efforts, and, in particular, I thank the Speaker’s office. On behalf of the Hon Peter Dunne I thank his ministerial advisory staff from the Inland Revenue Department and the Ministry of Health, and, of course, I thank our electorate agents who work for us out in the regions.
As we part company for the year it is time to reflect on the fact that we look toward Christmas as a family-focused season. It occurred to me as we were gathering for this debate that even though it is the second Christmas since Rod Donald’s death, his family yet again bears his memory. We would like to pass on through the Green Party our ongoing memories of him, and say that we wish them well at this season, which will be tinged with sadness for them. We encourage everybody to have a restful and safe Christmas, and we look forward to the beginning of the new year.
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) Link to this
May I, Madam Speaker, give my best wishes to you. I must admit that we got off to a rocky start, you and I, when you called the Serjeant-at-Arms to remove me. I understand that that had never been done in the history of the New Zealand Parliament; I am sure that I deserved it. I discovered later that if the Serjeant-at-Arms had touched me, I would have been out of Parliament until the next election. So it was a near-run thing. I should apologise to the Serjeant-at-Arms in the spirit of Christmas, because I actually turned to him and said: “Don’t touch me, or you will regret it.” I did not say that loudly enough for the Speaker to hear—thank goodness. But we did get off to a rocky start, Madam Speaker, and I hope that I have worked to repair that relationship with you.
In my time in Parliament I have never seen a Speaker more tested by the poor behaviour of the Labour and National Parties—[Interruption]—and you can see, Madam Speaker, what I mean. I make the point—and National and Labour MPs should reflect on it over the Christmas break—that this is a sacred place, that it is an important place for our democracy and for our country, and that it does deserve some respect. So, too, do those members who are on their feet; so, too, does the Speaker. There is a limit to how much a Speaker can require discipline of members and of political parties. If political parties are not prepared to show the discipline required to have a serious debate, then it is not possible for a Speaker to ensure that. So I hope that both the Labour and National Parties will go away and have a break, reflect on the year, and reflect on how they want to approach Parliament.
I thank the ACT caucus. We could not have had a more united and determined caucus if we had tried—100 percent supportive and hard-working, and nary a cross word or division in it. I also thank the ACT staff, who have helped us enormously, and in particular my secretary, Sandy Grove, who is a true trouper.
I thank the good people of Epsom. They put their faith and trust in me and tried something different. I have worked hard to be the best member of Parliament the people of Epsom have ever had. I believe that that is the case, and it is being recognised now in that electorate.
I thank all our supporters and members of the ACT party, who have stayed with us through what was a tough time. We now continue on our way, and to grow.
It has been a big year for the ACT party. We started off with just two MPs. I remember friendly colleagues of ours in the National Party saying that we were finished, because we would not be able to get anywhere with just two MPs. Well, Heather Roy and I have done our best to raise issues around New Zealand—not always through Parliament. I commend Heather, an MP and a mother of five, for taking up the challenge and joining our armed services, making a contribution to New Zealand’s defence, and understanding her portfolios from the sharp end—behind some very large guns.
It is also the case that the ACT party has brought some very serious bills to this House—the No. 1 bill being that to cap increases in local Government rates, and another bill still to be heard, to deal with the unnecessary red tape that confronts New Zealand and wastes our resources.
Heather Roy and I also travelled to Europe, and particularly to Dublin and Berlin, to see other proportional systems, and particularly MMP, in action, and to find out how smaller parties campaign and operate in Parliaments. It was of great benefit to us.
I should pay special thanks to Judith Collins—I am sorry; I know she is in Samoa this week—because I wandered into the House one question time and she came up to me and said: “Mr Hide, the purpose is to get on TV for sure, but to get on TV by what you are saying, not by what you are showing.” I looked a bit nonplussed, and she said: “Your fly is down.” I had walked into the House with my fly down, and had quickly to adjust it. The only question I had for Judith Collins was how come she was the only one who noticed. I have not got a satisfactory answer to that question.
After 10 years of MMP, I think that this year has been when it has started to work for us. First of all, we have worked with our colleagues in the Māori Party, with whom we agree on much and disagree on some. Our relationship, from which the ACT Party has learnt a great deal, has been fantastic, and I hope we have not been too much of a drag on the Māori Party. Also, I have enjoyed working with United Future and, indeed, with the New Zealand First MPs. The pleasure for me this year has been to work with Keith Locke and the Green Party on stopping what was going to be an absolute monstrosity on Auckland’s waterfront. I enjoyed that most of all this year, and I thank Keith for that.
It has been a year in which the Government, in its third term in office, has tried to come up with a big idea but has failed miserably. First, we had the stadium. That was going to be the big idea, and we saw what happened to that. Second, we have climate change and carbon neutrality, and we are seeing what is happening to that. So next year we will see a Government that is floundering around for a big idea.
We saw Helen Clark—for the first time, really—lose touch with New Zealanders when she said that the pledge card was an issue that did not extend past the beltway, when what we had was a political party upset and, according to the Auditor-General, the misspending of taxpayer funds. However, I do not believe that the National Party covered itself in glory on the pledge card issue by essentially accusing Labour and all other political parties of being corrupt. I believe that that was a very, very dark approach to politics here in New Zealand. We actually know what corruption is, and I can tell the House that we do not have it in New Zealand. I do not see how the National Party can have to pay back $10,000 and not be a little bit corrupt by its own statements. Indeed, my experience in Parliament is that when people get up on their high horse they quickly become undone, and we learnt from The Hollow Men that the National Party was indeed breaking the rules—
—they say “No!”—and paying a parliamentary staff member who was actively engaged in fund-raising. That is dead against the rules, and I do not see how one can be on one’s high horse and actually have taxpayer-paid staff going around fund-raising for one’s election campaign. I suggest that we have an interest in us all—in all political parties—working together to sort out the rules of taxpayer funding, and not having one party try to make hay at the expense of all the rest by pretending that somehow it is whiter than white.
One fascinating thing that has happened in recent weeks is that Michael Cullen has got his mojo back. For 2 years Michael Cullen has just been going through the motions. He is a man who is an extraordinary parliamentarian but he was looking like he had lost interest in politics. I have to say that this last week he is back! I can see what has happened. First, Trevor Mallard has gone from the picture after the stadium issue, and, secondly, I know that Michael Cullen was very upset when the media reported that John Key had bested him over the Budget and in the election campaign, and that it was Labour Party strategy to target Don Brash and to leave John Key alone. One could see Michael Cullen coiled up like a spring, wanting to unleash the whole time. He is so pleased, I can tell, that he now has Mr Key there, and I think that next year will be fascinating as we have this contest between them.
The ACT party will have a big year next year with our bill. I should say this: I have had a meeting with John Key, and I believe that John Key is a modern politician in New Zealand who actually understands—[Interruption] Well, we have Phil Heatley, who never ever gets to speak on anything decent in the House, and, like a lot of people in the National Party, would prefer not to even sit in his seat but instead yell right across the House, in the adjournment debate, when someone is actually trying to say some nice things about his leader—and that is precisely the trouble that we have in this Parliament.
Hon PAUL SWAIN (Labour—Rimutaka) Link to this
This has been a great year for the Government—a great year for the Government! Strong leadership, strong team, strong policies—
Hon Tau HenareI seek the leave of the House to table a document entitled: Members Asked to Withdraw from the Chamber, which states that Rodney has been asked to withdraw from the Chamber four times—the second-highest number of times in Parliament this year.
I just remind the member that normally the seeking of leave to table documents is taken at the end of speeches so as not to interrupt members. Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes, there is objection. Would the member please start his speech again.
This has been a great year for the Labour-led Government with its strong leadership, strong team, and strong policies. We talk about policies. That is the difference between us and that lot over there. They never talk about policy. We talk about policies. Here are just a few: interest-free student loans, public health organisation roll-out, KiwiSaver, expanded paid parental leave, and rates rebates. Just recently we have seen the draft Energy Strategy and the cheaper, faster broadband policy. This is the Labour-led Government and its policies.
As opposed to that, the National Opposition has had a shocking and terrible year. The recent book described National members as “hollow men”. I thought that description was flattering; it should have been “invisible men” as far as this year is concerned. The year started out with Don Brash and ended with John Key. We ended up with the back end of the donkey at the end of 2006.
Dear old Don Brash, he stuttered and stammered his way through the year. Do members remember that he could not quite work out how GST worked? Funny that, because he was one of the architects! Well, here is a handy little hint: exclusive GST means GST not included. A little memory hint is exclusive GST, Exclusive Brethren. It is very, very simple when one actually thinks about it and gets the hang of it. So finally Don Brash called it a day and we got John Key as National’s leader.
One can always recognise John Key around town now. He has the L-plate on the LTD. He is the learner leader who uses trainer wheels as he goes out for a bike ride. The fact is he will have an L-plate on the LTD for quite a while, judging by the last few weeks. I have just one thing to say to Mr Key: imitation is the greatest form of flattery. What has he announced in the last 3 weeks or so? He has announced and talked about such things as the inclusive society. Well, I wonder who started that little policy. Oh, of course, it was Labour. Then we had the sudden change in heart on climate change. He said that he has always believed in it. That is not what he said a year or so ago. He now says he will not change the Employment Relations Act. He now does not think that America should have gone into Iraq. He does not believe in the previous National Government’s nuclear policy. He supports civil unions and now thinks that tax should be introduced gradually. I say to the National Party that it should stop pinching Labour’s policies. It is just not right. Why would people have “Labour-lite” when they can have the real thing? That will be the point we make.
It is a funny thing also that John Key sounds like David Cameron from the British Conservative Party. Funny that! Why does he sound like David Cameron? Because it is David Cameron speaking! John Key is using the same lines as those used by David Cameron. Next year he will stand by his laptop waiting for emails from David Cameron to get him through the next week. He should think of some lines himself and stick to those. It works a lot better.
And what about the team lined up behind him? Bill English is doing the old “I am supporting the leader to the hilt.” line—yes, absolutely! An old law in politics is to never have a deputy leader who wants to be the leader. Bill English, of course, has not shown loyalty before—not to Jenny Shipley—and he will not show it again. What about Gerry Brownlee? He has slipped from No. 2 to No. 3, which is the political equivalent of being kicked down the stairs, actually. He can see himself being kicked all the way down and finally out into the lobby. What about Simon Power—power of the nuclear kind? He was Uncle Sam’s friend. Suddenly the leader says: “No, we do not believe in that any more.” So where is he going to end up? Tony Ryall, of course, is right behind the leader. He is always right behind the leader. He has been bitter since 1999 when the public kicked him out, and he is still not over it.
What about Nick Smith? How long was he deputy leader? I cannot remember. Was it 2 or 3 days?
Darren HughesSo he was deputy leader of the National Party for 3 days. Maurice Williamson—do members remember him? Do they remember that he was going to flog off the roads, sell them to the highest bidder? That was a very, very popular policy! We are looking forward to seeing that policy resurrected as we go into the next election.
Then, of course, there is Judith Collins. What did Bill English say about Judith Collins? In a nutshell he thinks she is hopeless. Well, Bill English has got that right. She is hopeless. What did he say about Katherine Rich? He said she has been promoted too fast. He thought John Carter—and I felt he was a bit unfair about my old friend—had been promoted beyond his competence. Bill English said that people in the caucus would never work with Murray McCully in Cabinet. That is absolutely true, because we know about old Muzza. The last word of all should go to Jonathan Coleman. Just when one thought it was safe to smoke cigars again, this happens! What they did to Bill Clinton’s career they will also do to Jonathan Coleman’s—concussion and a bloody nose, all for the sake of a bit of cigar smoke.
The Labour-led Government is going into the break feeling very, very good and very positive. We have done some policies. We have got New Zealand moving. We are doing the things that New Zealanders want the Government to do: showing leadership, showing strength of policy, and moving forward.
National members will go into Christmas hoping that Santa will bring them a principle, or a philosophy, or even a little policy. But we know they will not get one from Santa, because they have been bad, bad boys. They have been hollow boys. They have been hollow, bad boys. They are not going to get one single thing from Santa, and all we say is that after Christmas we will not mind sharing our policies, just as long as they ask nicely first. That is all we want.
To all the people who work in the parliamentary precinct, to everybody here, merry Christmas.
Hon BILL ENGLISH (National—Clutha-Southland) Link to this
Paul Swain is becoming the Larry Sutherland of the Labour Party.
Let me be more precise—Larry without the charisma. That is not a surprise, given that Rodney Hide sounds more and more like Peter Dunne every time he gets up to speak. I might say to the leader of the ACT party: “Throw away the self-improvement books, put the dancing shoes back in the cupboard, and return ACT to what this country needs it to be—a firebrand liberal party that keeps us honest, tells us where we should be going, and keeps getting 2 percent in the polls.”
If anything sums up the Labour Party in its current state it is the way it has handled the Liam Ashley affair. This House will remember a New Zealander called Kit Richards, a civil servant who wrote an email the Prime Minister did not like. And he lost his job. He lost his career and was unable ever again to get a job in the civil service. A couple of months ago Liam Ashley was strangled in the back of a prison van that was under the supervision of the police and the Department of Corrections. I might say that if Liam Ashley had been a 35-year-old middle-class mother of three, Damien O’Connor would be a former Minister. The Labour Party has cynically decided that no heads will roll and no responsibility will be taken by any individual person, but a young teenager lies buried 6 feet deep in a cemetery, when his parents and every New Zealander would have assumed he was in safe hands. That is the deep cynicism of the Labour Party. Someone who says something the Prime Minister does not like can never get a job again in the pay of the State; someone who allowed a young teenager in the care of the State to be strangled does not have to be accountable, does not have to be responsible, does not have to tell the public why it happened or how; and gets to keep his job, when Liam Ashley lost his life.
Damien O’Connor, a man of whom this Parliament thought better, has decided to do what Heather Simpson has told him to do—that is, to hold the line because Labour cannot afford to go into Christmas losing a scalp. What a disgrace! The public would have stood and respected that Government if it had shown that it still had the capacity to understand that when someone dies brutally while he is in the care of the State, the State takes responsibility. What if that were my teenage boy getting a sharp lesson with a night in the cell, which is what Liam Ashley’s parents thought was happening?
Jill PettisOh, so it is his fault? Now it is his fault. I thought that is what she said. Let that be in the newspaper tomorrow—that Liam Ashley died because of his parents, because they made the ridiculous mistake of assuming that if he was in prison, someone would care for his life. How ridiculous!
Labour blames the family!
I thought the pledge card was a deeply cynical exercise. I thought Labour’s breach of the electoral spending cap by half a million dollars was a deeply cynical exercise. I thought that Helen Clark’s willingness to say to her caucus: “Do what you like but don’t get arrested and you can stay on the parliamentary payroll.”, was a cynical exercise. I thought Damien O’Connor’s refusal to accept responsibility, or make sure that someone did, was a cynical exercise. But even I never thought that Labour would believe that it is Liam Ashley’s fault that he is dead. What a disgrace! Nothing better symbolises the end of this dreadful year for that party.
Our leader said it was a Walkman Government in an iPod world. Well, it is not. It is a hand-cranked phonograph in an iPod world. You see, this is a Government that has done what it came to do. The job is done. All the signs of decline are there.
John CarterDecay! Government members bullied the media. They told APN it would lose its tax arrangements if it kept writing the wrong stories. The Government now believes that process matters more than results.
We saw that with Labour’s response to climate change—the issue of our time. Labour now thinks that compiling a list of things to do is doing them. It is done. Labour has done energy. I know what Labour members did. They rang up Government departments and asked for a list of all the things that departments were doing. They put them in a strategy and launched it, and now it is done.
We know that is the case; we know that is how they do it. But they need to know this: all those sector groups that have been bullied, manipulated, and bribed are now knocking on the Opposition’s door. Our diaries are filling up with meetings with people, some of whom did not even know where the Opposition offices were but who have now worked out they had better find out. And they all tell the same story: “We are sick of it.”—even the civil service. The civil service wants the opportunity to serve the public, not the Labour Party. We will give them that opportunity.
The other sign of a Government nearing the end of its life is that the consequences of its choices are coming home to roost. No one is more affected by that than the cornered dog of Dr Cullen. Dr Cullen is now in the position where Peter Dunne and Helen Clark are saying to him: “You must cut personal taxes.”, and Dr Bollard is saying to him: “You must not.” The reason is that Dr Bollard now has an inflation problem. One of the main drivers of that inflation problem is his runaway spending under Dr Cullen.
I want to thank some people. I want to thank Don Brash for his long, admirable, and irreplaceable record of public life, and I want to thank him for turning this party into a Government. I want to thank John Key. Political leadership is a big ask for anyone, and I am so pleased that a man so capable has stepped up to become the leader of the National Party, and the next Prime Minister. I want to tell Paul Swain that if this is John Key with his L-plates on, wait till he gets his full licence. I tell members that he is driving the National Party and we are all on the bus, and it will roll right over this bunch who are lying in the middle of the road doing their best already to play dead.
I want to thank the National Party caucus. I have been brought up on the National Party, on the great figures of the past, because my parents knew them all and talked about them. This will be the best National Cabinet in 50 years. I have absolutely no doubt about it. We have the talent, we have the commitment, and we passed the test a couple of weeks ago by showing that our desire to change this country overrode all those other forces that are so difficult to manage in an Opposition. So we are ready with a leader who is ready—and a Government that is dead.
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) Link to this
It is an indication of the state of this ageing and dying Labour Government that it can put up only two speakers today. One is the cornered dog, Dr Michael Cullen, a man who has missed many opportunities in his life and has failed in his ultimate goal to lead the Labour Party. Then we heard from Mr Paul Swain, who is leaving this Parliament in fewer than 2 years. They are the only Labour members we have heard from. I say this to Dr Cullen: if the Labour Party had obeyed the law of this country, he would be the Deputy Prime Minister in this adjournment debate today. If the police had enforced the law, those people would not be sitting there today. If this Labour Party had taken the warnings of the Chief Electoral Officer and obeyed the law, it would not be the Government of New Zealand today, and New Zealand would have a much better Government that provides the leadership that the country needs.
This has been an awful year for the Labour Party in office. Let us remember the pledge card scandal. Do members recall how it started?
Chris AuchinvoleThe Prime Minister said the pledge card was not an issue, and that because Labour had been issuing it for two elections previously, it was not a problem. Then the argument was that everybody else was doing things like that, and then that Labour had not known it was an election expense. The fact of the matter is that David Henry deserves to be one of the New Zealanders of the year, because the Chief Electoral Officer wrote to that dishonest Labour Party, saying that its pledge card was election spending and had to be declared. What did the Labour Party do? It wrote back to him and said yes, it would be declared. That is what the Government said before the election.
Within days of the election—a knife-edge election—the Labour Party then wrote to David Henry and said it had changed its mind, and the spending on the pledge card was not going to be declared at all. That is dishonest, and as has been said by others, it is darn right corrupt. It is darn right corrupt to say one thing to the Chief Electoral Officer before the election and another thing afterwards. Because it was a knife-edge election, every dollar, every doorknock, every pamphlet, and every phone call mattered. Labour stole the election with half a million dollars of taxpayers’ money, and the Labour members have no legitimacy whatsoever to lecture anybody in this House. If they had obeyed the law, they would not be in Government today, and that silly little boy with the red hair would be delivering newspapers in Levin yet again, which is where he should be today.
Oh, he would get a milk run.
I think the real measure of Helen Clark is how she has dealt with Taito Phillip Field. I will recite what Lockwood Smith has shown so effectively in this Parliament this year. Taito Phillip Field is a man who sold immigration permits to people for money and work. There is no doubt that Taito Phillip Field said to Sunan Siriwan that if he went and did the tiling, he would get Siriwan into New Zealand. That is what happened. Here is the other rub: who else knew? Phil Goff was at the house where Sunan Siriwan was doing the work! The Minister of Foreign Affairs was at the house where he was doing the work. Has Phil Goff ever said, while sitting in his caravan in Mt Roskill waiting, waiting, waiting, what he said to Sunan Siriwan? No! Who else was there? The retiring Paul Swain was there. He was the Minister of Immigration. He was the guy in whose authority those decisions were being made. He was there at the house in Samoa with Sunan Siriwan. He spoke to him. What did he say? He has never said. Has he ever volunteered to go to the police to say what he said? No.
My colleague on this side of the House say he wants the grouting to be done.
But I think Helen Clark stands indicted for her appalling lack of standards on the performance of Taito Phillip Field. Let us remember what happened to Dover Samuels. Even a mere allegation meant that he was chopped off at the knees within 24 hours by Helen Clark. He was found to be completely beyond reproach, yet he was frozen out of the Government.
But I think one of the most noticeable and real achievements of this year is that Labour has lost the faith of the public when it comes to managing the health portfolio. New Zealanders now know that Labour cannot be trusted to give them value for money for what they are putting into the health service. We have seen the screaming skull in this House, in question time after question time, completely losing it because he cannot justify the performance of himself or his predecessor, Annette King. So at every question time out comes the screaming skull, trying to deflect attention from the appalling performance of Labour, and denying the fact that 25,000 New Zealanders who needed an operation were culled off hospital waiting lists for no other reason than that they had been waiting for more than 6 months. There was not a thought from Labour for those people. Those 25,000 New Zealanders whom doctors said needed operations were culled from hospital waiting lists for no other reason than that they had been waiting more than 6 months. Those people have been sent back to their doctors, and they have to start life again.
The real privilege of being the health spokesperson is that I have met and talked to a lot of the people at the cold edge of Labour’s health policy. I have been talking to people with skin cancer whose specialists have told them that the cancer has to eat more of their faces before they will get an operation, I say to Jill Pettis. I ask that member what she would say to those people. If she blames Liam Ashley’s mother for his death, would she blame a mother for her daughter’s cancer? I have been talking to people whose kids are in desperate need of neurosurgery. I have been talking to a mother whose kid could die at any moment if he cannot get desperately needed neurosurgery. She has been mucked around by the Auckland District Health Board. And what does the Minister of Health do in Parliament? He blames the mother, again. Is that not appalling? I have been talking to the old people who have been suffering because they are in desperate need of a hip replacement, yet Pete Hodgson says that does not matter and they can go off the waiting list because they have been waiting more than 6 months. They are culled from the hospital waiting lists.
And what about the biggest lie of all? The biggest lie of all is that we are doing more surgery in New Zealand than we were 6 years ago. That is the test of this Government. An extra $4 billion has been put into elective surgery, and fewer people are receiving elective surgery than previously. Even fewer people will get elective surgery this year. We have seen an unprecedented level of industrial action in our country’s hospitals. Today I can tell the House that there are people in the MidCentral District Health Board’s area who have been told that they will wait 19 weeks in order to get radiotherapy to deal with their cancer. Let us imagine someone being told today that he or she will not start his or her treatment to cure cancer until the end of April. Someone has cancer, but that person will not be treated until the end of April. A member’s constituent could be told today that he or she will not get cancer treatment until this time in April. That is appalling. That is what this Government—[Interruption]
I will give members the best policy for fixing the health system in this country, and it is a change of Government. National will give New Zealand the leadership that will assure people they will get value for every dollar. We will not waste all the money on endless bureaucracy. Members should mark this down: since the Labour Party came to office in the year 2000 there are now over 2,000 more managers and administrators in the health system. For every two nurses who have been employed in the health system, Labour has employed a new hospital manager. Our entire health system is being bogged down in bureaucracy and decline. We even revealed in Parliament in the last week that the Minister of Health knows that his role is being wasted.
Members of Parliament, as the 2006 parliamentary year comes to a close I wish to pay tribute to all the people who contribute to the efficient functioning of the House. First, I must acknowledge the support of my colleague and Deputy Speaker, Clem Simich, and Assistant Speakers Ann Hartley and Ross Robertson, who have been great to work with this year and have never failed to perform when asked.
I extend my thanks to the Clerk of the House, David McGee. In my time as Speaker, I have come to value his sound advice and support, as well as his role in the efficient conduct of the House. As most members are aware, David has been overseas on a well-earned sabbatical for the last few months. It is with great admiration that I pay tribute to the Deputy Clerk of the House, Mary Harris. It is never easy stepping into the position of someone with David’s reputation, but Mary has embraced the role of Acting Clerk with confidence, professionalism, and a quiet determination. I have been exceedingly grateful for her wise counsel and sound advice over recent months.
I would also like to thank the staff of the Clerk’s Office for their professional and administrative skills in servicing the Table of the House, compiling Hansard records, processing legislation, questions, petitions, and serving select committees.
Thanks also must go to George Tanner, Chief Parliamentary Counsel, and his staff; the general manager of the Parliamentary Service, Joel George, and his senior managers; members’ support staff, including executive assistants; support staff of the various parliamentary parties; the staff of the Parliamentary Library; research units; the Chamber and gallery officers; security staff; building services staff; the telephonists; travel office staff; and reception and visitor services staff—my special thanks.
My thanks also goes to the Serjeant-at-Arms, Brent Smith, and to all those who work with him to uphold the traditions and propriety of the Chamber and to welcome visitors to the parliamentary galleries. They are an essential part of the running of the Parliament and of events such as the highly successful open day at Parliament in October. Others who work hard to ensure that guests and visitors to the parliamentary complex have an enjoyable experience include Beverley Cathcart and Michelle Janse.
Thank you to all those who have worked to support the committees that I chair: the Business Committee, the Parliamentary Service Commission, the Standing Orders Committee, and the Officers of Parliament Committee. I would also like to thank the Chief Ombudsman, John Belgrave, and his fellow ombudsmen, Beverley Wakem and Mel Smith, and their staff; the Controller and Auditor-General, Kevin Brady, and his staff; the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Morgan Williams, who, after 10 years’ service, leaves his post early next year. Welcome to Dr Jan Wright, who takes over in March.
Thanks also to the Leader of the House, the Hon Dr Michael Cullen, whose knowledge of the Standing Orders, impressive debating skills, and sense of humour have saved the House from sinking below the radar on several occasions—so to you, I thank you, Michael. The leaders of all the parties in this House, their deputies, and the party whips and their deputies all deserve a special commendation. Only those intimately involved appreciate the degree of skill, charm, and authority necessary to ensure the smooth running of this House. We are all well served by those who hold these often thankless offices.
I would like to acknowledge and thank the members of the press gallery and those journalists who take the time to learn about Parliament and its procedures, and are therefore better qualified to report and comment on what happens here than some of their other colleagues are. I acknowledge too the efforts of all members of Parliament who, despite enormous workloads, continued to serve their electorates and make important contributions to the wide range of select committees that met throughout this year.
I extend a personal thanks to my own staff, Pam Reader, Roland Todd, and of course the two Roses, with whom you are all familiar. In addition, of course, thanks to our Kaumātua and his wife Rose—who is the No. 3 Rose—and also to our interpreters, who give sterling service to this House.
I thank all members again for their support and work throughout the year, and for the contribution they make, not just to this House but also to New Zealand and its people. I know that from time to time people may wonder what members actually do in here, so I have been provided with a few statistics that may be of assistance to them during their holiday breaks over their barbecues. We have had 85 sitting days, 87 calendar days—members may wish to explain that to their constituents. We have had sitting hours that total 477 hours and 22 minutes. We have passed 97 bills, and they include four members’ bills. Members have contributed 20,185 written questions and have asked 988 oral questions. There have been 296 select committee meetings, and those select committees have produced 293 reports. I think that is an example of an extraordinarily good workload, for which all members should be congratulated.
As I draw this session of Parliament to a close, and as members go to join their families and friends for the coming break, I wish them all well until we meet again in February 2007.