Bridges Simon: General Debate 
Bridges Simon: General Debate 
[Volume:656;Page:5253] 
SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) 
: 
 It is fantastic to take a call in this general debate. Members opposite have given up finding this to be just a bit too tough. I am proud to be part of a National Government with fantastic leadership under John Key but including many others. In this speech I will talk about the many positive initiatives that our Government is taking. 
But first I will mention a very positive thing that has occurred right in the electorate that I am privileged to represent the electorate of Tauranga: a Tauranga baker has scooped New Zealand’s best pie award for a record third time. Pat Lam of Goldstar Patrick’s Pies Bakery beat entries from 388 other bakeries to win the supreme award for best pie in New Zealand. The pie was members will be pleased to know a creamy bacon mushroom and cheese pie. As I say it was the third time that Mr Lam has won the award. How good is that? I congratulate Pat Lam and Goldstar Patrick’s Pies Bakery. In Tauranga we are truly proud to say we eat all the pies. 
I want to talk about the exciting initiatives that are coming out of this Government thick and fast. I say from the outset that really at a big picture level it is quite clear that despite a bad global recession and tough times—sobering times; perhaps the toughest times we have seen since the 1930s—we have not thrown our hands up in despair. At the big picture level we have done two significant things. First we have maintained benefits and entitlements. Representing a city like Tauranga where a significant proportion of the population is elderly I am quite proud to say we have worked hard to make sure that national superannuation will stay at 66 percent of the average wage after tax. That is something the people of Tauranga along with the local Grey Power and Age Concern organisations and many other groups in my electorate are very happy about especially in light of comments that David Cunliffe from the other side of the House has made about the need to tweak superannuation and perhaps see the age of entitlement go up to 67. In speaking with business groups he has made it quite clear that he does not necessarily think the door should be shut on that. We do and the people of Tauranga do. 
Simultaneously with maintaining the benefits we have also worked very hard to be disciplined prudent and careful with the books in order to ensure this country does not see a credit downgrade. Again that is markedly distinct from the kind of “Visa-nomics” that we have seen from members opposite the brigade from Labour who were prepared to “Put-it-on-the-bill-Phil” and to play fast and loose with money in the good times. In the bad times we have both maintained entitlements and ensured there has been no credit downgrade. We have done that really for the sake of future generations in this country so that they will continue to have options to live well in a first-class First World country. 
Many initiatives—and there are many—are keeping this House and the select committees busy. There has been the ReStart package to soften the blow for those who have been made redundant and also a comprehensive tax and simplification package for small and medium sized enterprises. Initiatives have come out of the Job Summit such as the 9-day working fortnight whereby unions businesses and the Government have got together in a good-faith dialogue starting a process that I am sure will continue into the future.