Sio Su'a William: Appropriation (2011/12 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Sio Su'a William: Appropriation (2011/12 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
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SU’A WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Mangere) 
: 
 When my colleague asked the member who has just spoken Aaron Gilmore what his list placing would be he did not respond. He continued speaking but I saw his colleagues sitting on the backbench all smiling and laughing. After listening to his speech I now realise that we will never see that member again after the election if we can gauge that by his colleagues who are sitting on the backbench there laughing and smiling at him He had no idea what ordinary hard-working middle and low income people are experiencing under this Government—no idea whatsoever. [ 
Interruption 
] The big mouth shouting from that side of the House has no idea whatsoever either. 
Simon Bridges 
: Point of order— 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: Point of order— 
Simon Bridges 
: I got to my feet first. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I will decide who has the point of order. I call Simon Bridges on a point of order. 
Simon Bridges 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I take personal offence at those remarks. My mouth is not as big as that. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order. I have to say to Government members that continual barraging is unacceptable. Some interjection is fine but continual barraging especially when the member started his speech meant it was difficult to hear what the member had to say to start with. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Earlier on in this debate you asked one of our Government members to apologise and withdraw for not calling someone by their appropriate name. Calling someone “big mouth” as opposed to— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I will deal with that thank you. The matter is that that was a generalisation as opposed to a specific direction at a particular member. But I do say be careful about how you refer to members. We are all honourable members and we should respect the positions that people hold. It would be good if we actually refer to people by their name or their title. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: Point of order. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I have ruled on this matter and I ask the member to resume his seat. 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. You are absolutely right. I was describing and I did not name anybody personally. 
I want to say to the member for Hamilton East that I totally agree with his comments when he says that we need people to have a good education. That is absolutely right. But then I have to ask him and his Government why they put a cap on tertiary education opportunities. Why did they increase costs for early childhood education? Why is the Minister of Education forcing bilingual kids to speak only one language by removing Pacific bilingual language from the Pacific education plan? Why is the Minister dumbing down bilingual kids by forcing them to speak only English in this country when that Government knows better and should know that Pacific kids are bilingual? Pacific kids are bilingual. 
Grant Robertson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I regret to interrupt the member who was speaking but there was an interjection from the Minister of Education when she accused the member of lying. That is completely unacceptable in this House. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Speaker’s ruling 42/5 states that members cannot use the world “lie”. I ask the member to withdraw that comment. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: I withdraw. 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. When— 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: But start telling the truth! 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I refer to Speaker’s ruling 43/1. I ask the member once again to withdraw and this time also to apologise. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: Do you want me to withdraw “telling the truth”? 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: There is a Speaker’s ruling that is very clear. Speaker’s ruling 43/1 states: “ ‘Tell the truth!’ Obviously it is a phrase that creates disorder in this House so from now on it will be considered an unparliamentary term.” I ask the member to withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: I accept her apology because she is the member responsible for cutting the funding to the Tupu language series. She is the member responsible for cutting the funding to the  
Folauga 
 journal series. They are all resources for the promotion of Pacific bilingual language in schools. Instead of saying that she has cut that funding she uses the word “pause”. So I ask that Minister who is telling the truth. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I have just asked the Minister to withdraw the comment and to apologise for saying exactly what the member has just said. I ask the member also to withdraw that comment and apologise for it. 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: I apologise and withdraw but it does not take away the fact that that Minister at whom I am pointing my finger is responsible for the protests of people who would normally never protest. Those protesters turned up last Thursday. They normally never protest but turned up last Thursday because that Minister and her policy are attacking the rights of Pacific children to be able to speak their languages. That is right: $320000 has been cut from this budget. A measly $320000 has been cut and that will have rippling effects now and into the future for Pacific bilingual children. 
Just because the Minister cannot speak any other language but English she wants to force— 
Hon Anne Tolley 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know the debate is robust but actually I can speak more than one language. That member is making disparaging comments which you called my colleagues up for making. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I hear what the member is saying. I ask the member who has just resumed his seat to be very careful about comments that other members can take offence from. Standing Order 116 is very clear. It is about personal reflections. When one member antagonises another member by way of a speech it invites a reaction. I ask the member from now on to be very careful. Otherwise I will terminate the speech. 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: I do apologise if I have offended that member but it is a robust debate and I hope she can take what she has tried to dish it out to me. 
We began with this Government saying at the beginning of its term that it was after value for money. But this is its last Budget and the mantra is now “more for less”. More for whom? More for the Government’s mates. Less for whom? Less for the rest of the population of New Zealand. Let me reflect to the House on a meeting we held on Friday of last week with the Salvation Army. I am hopeful that by reflecting to Government members on the meeting we held with the Salvation Army and on what it is experiencing on the ground they might be able to feel what working communities are feeling under this Government’s governance. There is a general feeling that children’s well-being is at risk because of the cuts to early childhood education because of the cuts to Pacific bilingual education and because of the general cuts right across the board to the kinds of social services that give a helping hand to communities in need. There are so many people who are unemployed without jobs that—I have been told—the Salvation Army as well as many other community organisations has been asked to do more but with fewer resources. This Government is doing that instead of taking responsibility for the high cost of living which is the experience of many families for the high rate of unemployment for those who are standing in line who are no longer able to receive housing support and for the many families who have to try to fit into a garage shared by six other families in a three-bedroom home. 
Those are the kinds of social problems that have increased. 
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga 
: Where’s that? 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: That member Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has no idea whatsoever. By hanging around Mr Key he thinks he will earn his $50 million which Mr Key has. He has no idea of what the communities out in Maungakiekie are experiencing. That is why Carol Beaumont is doing work—that member should sit down—on loan sharks and clothes factories. The only reason Government members have decided to raise that issue now is that it is election year. 
All that we ever hear from Mr Key and his band of jolly fellows on that side of the House is slogans. There is nothing substantial. There is no in-depth plan for this country. I will say this: if we allow that party to return and have a second term in Government my goodness help us! We are going to the dogs under that Government. It makes promises that it is not able to keep. It said it was going to cut the gap between the wages of Australian workers and the wages here. What has happened to that? It said it would never raise GST to 15 percent. What has happened now? 
David Bennett 
: All lies! 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I ask the member to withdraw and apologise for those comments. He cannot say it is all lies. 
David Bennett 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: There is an African saying: “The dogs will bark when their master is not around.” Kia kaha.