Hughes Darren: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Hughes Darren: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:627;Page:22132] 
DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) 
: 
 In Vote Health in the coming financial year we will see the real investments that can be made in public services under a Labour-Progressive Government. This Government is good for people’s health. When we pick up the Budget pick up any community newspaper visit the local primary health organisation visit the local Plunket nurse call in to see a general practitioner or go out there with the people working in our communities on health we can see the massive inroads that have been made in terms of improving the health of ordinary New Zealanders over the last 6 years. We can also see what is planned for the coming year. 
We have a very clear plan for health—for public health for primary health and for getting more operations done right throughout the sector. Then we have to go into the primary health organisations— 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Why are twice as many people on a sickness benefit? 
DARREN HUGHES 
: Nick Smith asks about the sickness benefit in terms of Vote Health. I am not going to reply to him about that; I will let him think about that himself. The total number of people on benefits in New Zealand has fallen from over 400000 to less than 300000 in the last 6 years under this Government. A quarter fewer people are on all welfare rolls than ever before. Just last week the Minister for Social Development and Employment put out a report that shows that the growth in sickness benefit numbers has halved to just 3 percent. So the big increases that we have seen in the number of people on the sickness benefit have come right down. But even if we are uncharitable as the Opposition members are and just focus on that we can still see that the total number of people on all welfare benefits has gone down from over 400000 under National to under 300000 under Labour. That is progress. And of course we have halved unemployment in this country in the last 6 years putting more people back into work. 
In terms of Vote Health there has been a record spend—40 percent more than when we became the Government in 1999—and that is making a huge difference. I think of two projects that are being funded by the Hon Annette King in this financial year which we are discussing in these estimates. One is the plan to conduct another 7500 cataract operations. Those operations are life-changing for the people who receive them. Normally they are our senior citizens who need access to that kind of surgery in order to improve their lives. This Government is delivering it because we are prepared to put the money into the public health system. It is not for us to go around slashing taxes for our rich mates. We are not going to do that; we are putting money into the health system. The National Party members are interjecting wildly but I ask them this question: what is their health policy? Silence. What is their tax policy? Silence. At the moment the Committee of the whole House is considering Vote Health which is paid for by the revenue the Government receives. In both those areas health and revenue we have not had one policy from the National Party members. They are not using this estimates debate 7½ weeks out from a general election to front up to people with a health policy or a tax policy. 
Let me ask Nick Smith this: would the 7500 extra cataract operations stay under a National Government? Would the doubling of hip and knee operations stay? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Absolutely! 
DARREN HUGHES 
: Nick Smith says “Absolutely!”. Of course he paused for a long time before he said that. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: There will be more. 
DARREN HUGHES 
: Oh there will be more he says. So we now know that National wants to spend more than Labour on its health policy. Well this is a very good debate. It is no wonder that Simon Power is keeping very quiet; he knows that that does not add up. What about National’s tax policy? That has not come forward either. So the National members are going to spend a whole lot more but they will not tell us what their policy is. We have gone from having Roger Sowry to Lynda Scott to Katherine Rich to Judith Collins to Paul Hutchison as National’s spokesperson on health. National has gone right through those people sacking them left right and centre—there is no problem there. And on the revenue policy nothing has been said in terms of tax. 
There has been an absolute flip-flop on health funding. Don Brash said first of all when he was asked about primary health organisation funding that he did not know what a primary health organisation is. Well he would not know would he? He would not spend any time meeting with ordinary people about their needs. So that was his first point. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: How many ordinary people know what a primary health organisation is? 
DARREN HUGHES 
: The three primary health organisations in my electorate are making a big difference to people in my constituency. Why does Nick Smith not find out what is happening in Nelson? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Because it’s a mess. 
DARREN HUGHES 
: Oh right! So for an old person to pay only $3 for a prescription is a mess is it? For a senior citizen a poor old pensioner to be able to go out to pick up a prescription is a mess according to Nick Smith. What National wants to do is to use that money—the money that those old people have been able to save by paying only $3 for a prescription—and hock it off to its rich Tory mates. The National members will not tell us how they would do that because they are too embarrassed. National has no health policy. There has been no word on its tax policy. It will not tell us what it would do in respect of cataract operations or hip or joint operations. The National members cannot tell us what they would do with regard to the primary heath organisations. It does not add up. 
I say to people that National is bad for their health. If people think the flu was bad this winter they should imagine how bad it would be if Don Brash were running the country with no health policy and no tax policy. 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: “Blumsky-itis”! 
DARREN HUGHES 
: Well I do not want to do down that path in terms of the health policy. I am not sure whether any primary health organisation could fix those particular problems. People should vote Labour.