9. JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does he stand by his statement that “it is New Zealanders … that create new jobs and opportunities - not the Government”?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
Yes, the Prime Minister stands by the full statement, which states: “ultimately it is New Zealanders, through their own entrepreneurial efforts and business decisions, that create new jobs and opportunities—not the Government.”
If the Government is not responsible for creating jobs, why did it hold the Job Summit in 2009 and establish “a rolling maul” of initiatives like Job Ops, Community Max, and the cycleway?
Because this Government is focused on improvements within the economy in order to create the platform on which business and New Zealanders can invest and grow jobs.
When will one of the three improvements to the economy he named on 7 June, including national standards, early childhood education, and interest rates, help people looking for work in Northland, where unemployment is almost 10 percent?
One of the key incentives for New Zealanders to invest is low interest rates, which, together with low taxes, leave money in the pockets of the people for whom we are looking to create jobs into the future.
How will his welfare reforms help young job seekers like Daniel Alker and Tāwhai Tāpene to find work, as he implied on The Nation last week?
Because incentives matter, and we want to make sure there are incentives for New Zealand businesses to invest in growing and creating jobs. That means low interest rates, low taxes, low bureaucracy, and a Government committed to that sort of future.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. My question was quite a specific reference to how welfare reform would help job seekers. The Minister spoke primarily about incentives. That was not my question at all. My question asked how welfare reform would help those already seeking work.
Mr SPEAKERThe member’s question was not exactly that, at all. The member went on to name some people on a television show, which inevitably left more licence for a Minister in answering the question. The Minister’s answer could apply equally to welfare reforms. Incentives in welfare, I imagine, are perfectly legitimate ways of changing behaviour.