Gallagher Martin: General Debates 
Gallagher Martin: General Debates 
[Volume:616;Page:11730] 
MARTIN GALLAGHER (Labour—Hamilton West) 
: 
 It is not my intention to get into some of the details of recent statements made by the current leader of the National Party except to note some really interesting and revealing newspaper coverage. I note the very interesting editorial today in the  
New Zealand Herald 
 entitled “Mud-slinging backfires on naive Brash” and I also note the press coverage. What I object to is the implication by the leader of the National Party that the Prime Minister should have refrained from speaking in the Christchurch Cathedral. In my view that is some very flawed thinking. The Prime Minister spoke in the Christchurch Cathedral to reflect on the 5th anniversary of the Hikoi of Hope of 1998 when almost 30000 joined the march. Those people called for a change from the cost cutting deregulation and restructuring of the 1980s and 1990s. Too many New Zealand families were trapped in poverty jobless and struggling to access health and education. Clearly the real agenda behind the current hype of the Opposition National Party with reference to race relations in our country is its intention to take this country back to those times.  
Lest we forget we reversed National’s cuts to superannuation which would have seen at least a third of older New Zealanders living below the poverty line. This relatively newish leader of the National Opposition is promising to review superannuation and the age of eligibility. All New Zealanders below the age of 50 should now start readjusting their post-retirement plans in terms of when they turn 65. That leader has started to float the prospect of older New Zealanders having to work past the age of 65. New Zealanders who have spent a lifetime contributing to this economy and this nation are having to start contemplating now that they will have no choice but to work past the age of 65. I say to anyone listening to this debate tonight— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member may not refer to radio listeners. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: I stand corrected Mr Speaker. I ask people in the Chamber who are listening to this debate whether they honestly think that in that area and in a number of other areas when it comes to workplace conditions age of retirement eligibility eligibility for health-care funding eligibility for decent access to schools national pay scales for teachers and commonality of education a Brash Government ably assisted—says I with a degree of cynicism—by Mr Richard Prebble will sit on its hands and do nothing. 
 I say to this Parliament today that it should look past the current National Opposition’s rhetoric on race relations in this country and see what its real agenda is. Look at Dr Brash’s record and the policies he supported when he was Governor of the Reserve Bank. Look at his statements on asset tax around properties. Look at his statements around taxing the family home. Look at his statement about raising the age of eligibility for superannuation. Look at those statements and look at what we know in our heart of hearts he wants to turn the economy into. Look at his attitudes around workplace conditions in this country and then say whether he will be a kindly gentleman who sits on his hands and does nothing. 
To its credit New Zealand First understands that. I even believe that the United Future party when it starts to look at that understands that. Every other party in this Parliament bar ACT—minus Donna Awatere Huata of course—supports that.