Collins JudithGENERAL DEBATEHon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business.Well the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison has today been asked by the media in Australia about a travel bubble with New Zealand because Australia now has fewer cases of COVID-19 than New Zealand. This is what he said and I'm going to say this verbatim: Well that's a matter for the New Zealand Government. … If the New Zealand Government doesn't wish Australians to visit New Zealand and spend money in Queenstown … that's a matter for them. … I'm happy for them to open it up as soon as the Prime Minister would like to do that. … Australia is open to New Zealand and has been for some time … That is benefiting our economy. … But if Australians can't go to Queenstown I'm hoping they'll go to Cairns."So we've heard today from the Prime Minister of New Zealand that it's just not safe to do this; it is very dangerous to do this—it is outrageously dangerous! And yet seven out of eight states in Australia have not had a community case in over 37 days—37 days. Let's just run through some of these. So we all know that Victoria had its issues 12 days since they last had a case; 37 for Western Australia; 52 for New South Wales; Queensland 54; 76 for South Australia; Tasmania 211; 221 in the Northern Territory; 243 in the Australian Capital Territory; and how many in New Zealand? Eleven—11 days. We're the worst performing against the Australian states of any of them and this Government says we're not allowed to have the Australians here.Why would we want the Australians here? Well it's this thing called tourism. And I know that Stuart Nash doesn't care about tourism. He's been up to tourist operators. He's told them they just have to pivot. Well pivot where? They're not going to be able to "pivot" in Franz Josef Glacier they're not going to be able to pivot on the West Coast and they're not going to pivot in Queenstown. Where's this pivoting going? It is now no less safe for people to come from Sydney to Queenstown than it is for us Aucklanders to go to Queenstown and this Government won't accept it.And how much money do these pesky Australians spend on tourism? They spend $60 billion—$60 billion. That's almost as much as the debt that this Government's already racked up. It's $60 billion. And how much is the New Zealand tourism industry worth? Well not much at the moment. What was it before COVID-19? It was $17 billion—just $17 billion. Imagine if we could get some of that $60 billion to New Zealand keep Queenstown going keep the West Coast going keep Franz Josef going keep these people in work; isn't that what we need—isn't that what we need? We hear from the West Coast that 80 percent of businesses are closing. That's what they're looking at. And Stuart Nash who loves to have a big swag around the place telling people what he's going to do—what's he actually done? He's told them to go and pivot. Well pivot yourself Stuart Nash. Think about the fact there are people who are trying to actually get this job. Just pivot; pivot and get out.Hon Members: Ha ha!Hon JUDITH COLLINS: We hear from tourist operators all over the country that they are actually closing their businesses and the Labour Party might laugh because we all know they don't like businesses but actually how about thinking about their staff? How about thinking of the fact that these people are losing jobs? How about that? And with those jobs often their homes.We've already got a Minister of Housing who is starting to make Phil Twyford look like a genius absolute genius and that is clearly not the answer. She likes doing videos but she can't get a progressive home scheme through. This party this Opposition will hold the Government to account on this. Open the borders let people in because sure as hell we're losing them to Australia. We're losing them and this Government has no answers for being able to grow the economy. All they're relying on these days and I love the irony of it are the farmers—the farmers! The only people that this country can rely on to bring in the export dollars and this Government does everything it can to bash them around. Thank goodness for the farmers because the tourist industry needs a new Minister."