Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Sitting date: 23 October 2012. Volume:685;Page:6032. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
2. 
DAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by his statement “we’re trying to change the economic picture to encourage more New Zealanders to stay”; if so how many people have migrated to Australia since he took office? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 I stand by my full statement which was: “Australia’s been the best performing economy in the developed world so it’s natural that some New Zealanders will ship over there but obviously we are trying to change the economic picture to encourage more New Zealanders to stay.” To the second part of the question I say that 170000 people not just New Zealand citizens have moved to Australia since November 2008. That is more than we would like but it is a lot fewer than the 310000 who went to Australia under Labour. 
David Shearer 
: What has his Government done to ensure that a training requirement is introduced as part of the Government procurement processes as was recommended in the 2009 Job Summit? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The Government has done a number of things in terms of lifting the opportunity for training and that included I think spending $43 million in the Christchurch area. It has also established the Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub for a one-stop shop for employers to list vacancies and recruit from Work and Income. 
David Shearer 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was quite a specific question around the Job Summit. It would be appreciated if the Prime Minister could address that part of the question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Forgive me but I thought the member though in asking his question included an issue around training. I may be wrong in that recollection. Does the member wish to raise— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I think what the Leader of the Opposition asked was whether training requirements were part of Government procurement. It was not a general— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member is welcome to repeat his question because I am not clear on it myself. 
David Shearer 
: What has his Government done to ensure that a training requirement is introduced as part of the Government procurement processes as was recommended under the 2009 Job Summit? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Specifically we do not require them to do it but as I understand it employers do get actively involved in that training component and they are actively working with us in a number of areas—the Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub is a good example. The Government also spends a huge amount of money on basically making sure that it provides training courses and apprenticeships and support for youngsters. 
David Shearer 
: Is he able to tell the House approximately how many apprenticeships have been created in the last year? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I do not have that number to hand but what I do have to hand is the editorial that absolutely slammed David Shearer— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! The question was a straight question; it does not deserve that. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: Will the Prime Minister be seeking to try to change the economic picture to encourage more New Zealanders to stay—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! I apologise to the member but I just cannot hear him because of the interjections going across the floor in front of me. I ask members on both sides to please desist so that I can hear the Hon Peter Dunne. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! I have just asked members to desist. Order! There is no need for that. It is not helpful. [ 
Interruption 
] I said interjections on both sides of the House—I am asking members on both sides of the House to desist. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: May I start again? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member may start again. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: Will the Prime Minister be trying to change the economic picture to encourage more New Zealanders to stay as proposed in the question by the Leader of the Opposition by implementing Mr Shearer’s suggestions in Christchurch last week for curbing immigration? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No. I might say that a good summary of what was thought of Mr Shearer’s speech was in the  
New Zealand Herald’s 
 editorial where it used the following words: “dire” “dismal” “depressing” “detrimental” and “xenophobic”. I bet you the next time I am with Mr Shearer at some sort of Chinese or Asian event— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! That is sufficient. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Could the Prime Minister give us his mathematics which says that the 170000 in just on 3¾ years if doubled is fewer than the 310000 over 9 years; could he possibly tell us how he worked that out? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: There is nothing to work out. It is a statement of fact. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister knows full well what he is asked. He compared a 3¾-year figure with a 9-year figure and has been found out. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! National members today could also be a little more disciplined. The member did ask him how he worked it out and the Prime Minister said easily because it was a statement of fact. That is the answer to the question of how he worked it out. 
David Shearer 
: Is the Prime Minister concerned that 17000 tradespeople and technicians have left New Zealand for Australia since the earthquake given that Christchurch is desperate for those skills in the rebuild; if so what concrete steps is he taking to bring them back? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: There are a number of things. Firstly as I have said earlier we have set up the Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub. We have spent considerable amounts of money or have that earmarked at least for training. But most of all we are setting up an encouraging environment for people to actually want to do business in this country. We do not think the Government creates jobs; we think the Government creates the environment for jobs where people put their own capital to work. Mr Shearer would have those very companies pay a capital gains tax. That is what he wants. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! What the Opposition may or may not propose is not actually the responsibility of the Prime Minister. 
David Shearer 
: Why has $7 million of the $42 million for skills training in Canterbury been spent given reports that because of a lack of skilled Kiwi workers half of the workforce required for the rebuild will need to be brought in from overseas? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: There was firstly a reallocation of resources I understand but whether people are brought in or not will depend partly on the time-scale and the skills but that is not unusual. In fact successive Governments in this country the last time I looked have worked on a principle that where there is a skills shortage of course we bring people in. Actually as the  
New Zealand Herald 
 editorial says this has made New Zealand a lot better and a more interesting country. If the member wants to line up his policies with New Zealand First when it comes to migration good luck! 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You allowed him to have a rant and rave about a Zimbabwean dollar note which is nothing to do with the question from the Greens and then he had a few growls at the leader of the Labour Party but he cannot just go on embarrassing himself diverting his answer— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! I am not sure what the member’s point of order is about. The member—[ 
Interruption 
]—order! Order! The member may have observed that I stopped the Prime Minister on a couple of occasions. I do not recollect Speakers during that member’s most recent time in Government stopping the Prime Minister on many occasions. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think you did stop the Prime Minister. I think it was four times that you have stopped him in answers today. Normally the fourth offence would have some sort of warning with it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: [ 
Interruption 
] Order! Order! I thank the member for his advice. Question No. 3 Scott—[ 
Interruption 
] Oh sorry. I beg your pardon. Supplementary question the Leader of the Opposition. 
David Shearer 
: Is the Prime Minister more or less concerned that there are now 54000 New Zealanders a year leaving than when he stood in Westpac Stadium in 2008 and said that as Prime Minister he would give the 35000 New Zealanders a year leaving as it was then a reason and a purpose for staying in New Zealand? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Obviously it depends on the reasons why they are going. Some New Zealanders are leaving to go to Australia because of the mining sector. I notice when we had the question from his coalition partner over there who was wanting to stop dead all mining in New Zealand he did not actually mention that that would mean all miners would have to leave the country. When he goes out there telling people that there is going to be a capital gains tax on every business in New Zealand he does not tell them what that is going to do for their employment. So actually I am— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order!