Heatley Phil: General DebateText is subject to correctionHeatley Phil: General Debate[Sitting date: 13 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:25. Text is subject to correction.]Hon PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei): It is interesting that the member Iain Lees-Galloway brings up the Skycity convention centre because for decades the tourism industry has been asking various Governments and itself how it can get an international convention centre in New Zealand. It is true that as part of that convention centre there will be gaming machines. The New Zealand public in some way have found comfort in the fact that the number of gaming machines throughout New Zealand has decreased substantially over the last 5 years. Across New Zealand in bars and pubs the number is gradually coming down and furthermore even though there are going to be gaming machines in the new convention centre the number of gaming machines throughout New Zealand is going to continue to decrease which is good.I am not necessarily pro-gambling but I think it is important to put into perspective that this convention centre worth about $400 million in private investment is going to be built in Auckland. It is going to attract international conventions which we have never held in New Zealand before. During the construction phase there might be up to 1000 people involved and during the operational phase many hundreds of jobs and that is what this International Convention Centre is all about. So here is a convention centre that produces jobs and the Green Party and the Labour Party are against it.Here is the common thread: they are not against just the convention centre which will produce jobs and growth; the Green Party and the Labour Party have at every turn opposed the dairy industry expanding in New Zealand. The Labour Party and the Green Party oppose oil and gas exploration. They oppose the exploration of minerals—that is more jobs and growth out the window. So the Labour Party members who are all for jobs and the workers apparently are against the convention centre. They are against oiland gas exploration which has occurred in Taranaki for 100 years with no problems. They are against mining which has occurred on the West Coast for 100 years without any problems. They are also against irrigation—for example the irrigation of land in the South Island. They are concerned about that. The Labour Party is railing against that—more jobs and growth. Marine farming aquaculture—every time some business person wants to employ people and create a business and an income for himself and his family or herself and her family every time they propose a marine farm the Green Party and the Labour Party are against it—more jobs and growth that they oppose. Of course in the film industry they railed against Warner Bros which tried to stop the unions closing down theHobbit movies in New Zealand. Gerry Brownlee and John Key stepped in in a way that was above board and made sure that theHobbit movies were actually filmed in New Zealand. The Labour Party and the Green Party were against that.What I am saying to the New Zealand public is this: where once we had a Labour Party that was all for the workers and that supported the beneficiaries there is now a Labour Party that will be only for the beneficiaries because it opposes work. At every opportunity to produce jobs—the convention centre marine farming irrigation oil and gas exploration the exploration of minerals the film industry—the Labour Party is against that. There will be no work. It will be a party for beneficiaries whereas the National Party as you know has worked over the last 5 years with New Zealanders with businesses with public trusts and with all sorts of community organisations to create jobs to circle the wagons and to work ourselves out of the recession.We have gone through quite difficult times to a point where we now see unemployment dropping and employment increasing. We are seeing interest rates being held. We are seeing the best mortgage interest rates for 50 years. We are in a position where we do not want to put it all at risk. We will not want to put the Labour Party which apparently is all for jobs but against all sorts of investment in Government. I am very proud to be part of the National Party which has managed this economy over 5 years and I cannot see why the New Zealand public would put all that at risk.