Little Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 10 November 2015. Volume:710;Page:7793. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: When he said that New Zealand is on the “cusp of something special” did he mean 6 percent unemployment and 11000 jobs lost in the last quarter?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): Actually in retrospect I was referring to things like the Government getting the books back into surplus concluding a free-trade agreement covering 40 percent of the world’s economy seeing the record levels of tourism creating an ocean sanctuary in the Kermadecs giving under-13s free doctors visits signing a free-trade agreement with Korea and joining the World Trade Organization Government procurement agreement to give New Zealand firms access to $1.7 trillion of potential Government contracts. All of these things will help New Zealand to succeed as a prosperous trading nation not just this year but well out into the future.Andrew Little: How can he be surprised that he has lost 11000 jobs in the last 3 months when he refuses to back Kiwi jobs when spending $39 billion of taxpayers’ money?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: One of the fastest ways to back Kiwi jobs would be to say that the member would support the Government in signing a free-trade agreement with 40 percent of the global economy which sees a 93 percent elimination of tariffs and is worth nearly $3 billion to New Zealand.Andrew Little: Why does his Government not make job creation in New Zealand a priority when spending $39 billion of taxpayers’ money?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: It is a priority and that is why over the last 3 years the number of working people has gone up by 160000 and the number of people out of work has gone down by 19000. We have one of the higher levels of employment—one of the higher levels of participation—around the developed world.Tim Macindoe: What steps is the Government taking to support more jobs and higher incomes?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly it is important to understand that the Government does not create jobs; businesses do that. We have taken several steps to help them do that. For example we have reduced tax on work to encourage more jobs and increase take-home pay; we have introduced a 90-day trial to encourage businesses to hire new staff; we are controlling Government expenditure which helps to keep pressure off interest rates; and we have negotiated New Zealand’s biggest trade deal the Trans-Pacific Partnership to support more jobs and diversify the economy. Every one of these measures has a common theme: they were all opposed by the Labour Party.Andrew Little: Does he agree with Steel Construction New Zealand that the “inevitable outcome” of his Government’s approach to procurement is that “local industry is disadvantaged” and is that why the Glenbrook steel mill may now need to cut 1000 Kiwi jobs?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I do not think either of those statements is correct. In fact if the member looks at the Trans-Pacific Partnership what it does do is open up much greater and less protected access to New Zealand companies to procurement all around the world for Government contracts as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We encourage New Zealand companies to be involved and we have done lots of things. The Inland Revenue Department’s new computer system has been divided in a way that will make it much more accessible for Kiwis to actually get a chance for that.Tim Macindoe: How has the New Zealand labour market responded to improving economic conditions over the past 3 years?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: In the last 3 years alone the number of working people has gone up by 160000. The number of people out of work has gone down by 19000. The labour force participation rate has increased strongly and at 68.6 percent remains near record levels. The unemployment rate has dropped by 1.2 percentage points and the average wage has increased by around about 8 percent compared with inflation of under 3 percent. So overall the labour markets have improved leaving more New Zealanders in jobs and on average with higher incomes.Andrew Little: Why does he not stop being so gutless and failing New Zealanders and stand up for New Zealanders on Christmas Island and the 151000 who are now out of work under his Government?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: We do stand up for people and their rights but we also have a responsibility to protect New Zealanders. The record as I have just read out stands for itself. In the last 3 years 160000 more people are in work. I know that is very inconvenient for the Labour Party—it did not quite fit in with the speech on Sunday—but actually more New Zealanders are in work than before.