10. Economy—Employment and WagesHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of EmploymentEconomy—Employment and Wages10. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of Employment: Does he stand by his statement in the Manukau Courier for 9 years we've had Government policy which has offered up little more than lip service to job creation"; if so can he confirm that in the past 2 years an average of more than 10000 jobs a month have been created in this country?Hon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment): Absolutely yes I stand by my statement. And to answer the second part of the question—as the Prime Minister answered so eloquently earlier—that is one interpretation of reports but what I can confirm is that Statistics New Zealand data shows around 245000 more people are in some form of employment than two years ago.Mr SPEAKER: I'll just let the member the Hon Paul Goldsmith know that his team has another supplementary.Hon Paul Goldsmith: If 10000 new jobs a month is not good enough what target will he commit to?Hon WILLIE JACKSON: This Government is absolutely committed to real jobs—jobs with dignity jobs with a future—and we want to lower unemployment for a group of people that the National Party have forgotten all about.Hon Paul Goldsmith: What is the current average wage?Hon WILLIE JACKSON: At the moment we know what the average wage is and that MP needs to do some research.Hon Paul Goldsmith: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: Is it a point of order on me for allowing the question?Hon Paul Goldsmith: No it's just I'd like to have an answer. I asked a very simple question and I didn't get any answer.Mr SPEAKER: Yes and I'm not sure of its relationship with the original question. Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I assume you are considering whether or not you will act on that point of order? I mean to—Mr SPEAKER: I am considering.Hon Gerry Brownlee: You are? OK. Well we'll be quiet until we've had a bit of consideration. Hon Paul Goldsmith: For the Minister's information the average wage is nearly 60000 a year—a 28 percent increase on 9 years ago which is twice the rate of employment. And so given that what would his target be for increasing the average wage?Mr SPEAKER: I would have given some extra questions if in fact we had a question. We did at the end so what we're going to do is we're going to have the Hon Willie Jackson answer that question but I do want both sides to settle down and I especially want questions not to have prefaces.Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Sorry Mr Speaker. What was the question again?Mr SPEAKER: Well I think if the Hon Paul Goldsmith just does the tail end of what he said before.Hon Paul Goldsmith: So my question to the Minister is: what is his target for increasing the average wage?Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Our target is to create real jobs with dignity amongst our communities. This is an Opposition that has forgotten a big group of people in New Zealand: the Māori nation and the Pacific Island nation. Shame on you.Hon Steven Joyce: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I'm just conscious that the Minister today has answered the question by talking about the importance of certain types of jobs that deliver dignity and so on and one would have thought that therefore as the Minister of Employment one of the key ways of delivering dignity in employment is the size of the wage that is paid. It's not the only way but it is one of the key ways. So it would be fair surely to actually have some considered answers to these questions about what sort of average wage the Minister might be looking for or indeed what is the average wage given that he is the Minister of Employment.Mr SPEAKER: I thank the member for his point of order but I am going to be consistent with my predecessors and say that I am not going to take responsibility for the quality of the answers.Hon Grant Robertson: Speaking to the point of order.Mr SPEAKER: No too late.Hon Grant Robertson: Point of order then.Mr SPEAKER: I hope it's not a related matter Mr Robertson.Hon Grant Robertson: It's a related matter to the nature of supplementary questions Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I have allowed them and we've passed—and I've made some rulings pretty clearly on that thank you.Paul Eagle: What has the Minister seen that highlights that the creation of jobs for Māori and Pasifika people are lagging behind those of others?Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I've seen the recent unemployment figures that show under the previous Government Māori and Pasifika people were more than two times more likely to be unemployed than others and that highlights that the job creation under the previous Government left parts of our community unacceptably behind.Paul Eagle: What other examples has the Minister seen of lip-service to job creation?Mr SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat. That is not a supplementary question.Hon Paul Goldsmith: When he wrote "I'm Minister of Employment to make a real difference not appease easy stereotypes and lazy journalism" which journalists did he think were being lazy?Hon WILLIE JACKSON: There are many fine journalists particularly the ones who write negative articles about the Opposition.Hon Iain Lees-Galloway: What impact does he anticipate the Government's plan to progressively raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour and to enhance workers' bargaining position in the workplace will have on average wages?Hon WILLIE JACKSON: Huge huge impact—huge impact. Workers are so happy with the changes at the moment particularly after being under attack for the last nine years from a disgraceful Government.Hon Paul Goldsmith: How long will it take to get to that target?Hon WILLIE JACKSON: If the member's been reading our press releases by the year 2020—inscribe it on your forehead: 2020—we'll get our workers our people all people up to a livable wage: 2020.Mr SPEAKER: We will now move on to the next question but I am going to remind the Minister that suggesting that the Speaker get tattoos is not a good thing."