Collins Judith: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCollins Judith: General Debate[Sitting date: 17 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9443. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Justice): I moveThat the House take note of miscellaneous business. Today we have seen the Labour Party eternally in Opposition acting exactly like that—eternally in Opposition. Opportunities have been given to Labour to start to act like a Government but no it fails on every single opportunity.I want to talk today about something that should be of importance to all New Zealanders and that is the cost of living. Let me begin by acknowledging first that we live in the best little country in the world bar none—bar none. This has not come about by chance and it certainly has not come about because of any Labour Government that has ever been in office.What we should think about is that one of the best things that has happened as a result of our economic policies has been that interest rates are low. They are around half of what they were when Labour left office—when it was thrown out in 2008—when our economy was in recession when home interest rates were around 11 percent and when the cupboard not only was bare but had been mortgaged as well. Floating interest rates are now around half of that—around 5 to 6 percent; around half. For a family with a $200000 mortgage—and lots of families around New Zealand have that—that means $10000 after tax a year that they get to keep. That is a fantastic achievement and well done. And what did we see under Labour? Electricity prices rising by 72 percent.Hon Tony Ryall: How much?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: By 72 percent. But our economy is growing benefit numbers are dropping crime is down to the lowest level in 30 years and we have got a lot of very strong policies to keep this going.Actually today is a very important day because today is in fact the funeral of Baroness Margaret Thatcher. I think everybody knows that I am a big fan of hers. She was however a person of her time. She was a person of her time. She was influencedby social norms of the day. Looking back in hindsight you think that maybe there are a couple of things she did that you would not do. But she was always dead right on the economy and she was always dead right on democracy. She was asThe Economist has noted this week a freedom fighter—and she was.One of the things she said—this is a really good quote from her and I am sure that the Opposition wants to hear it—goes like this: “Let us never forget this fundamental truth: the State has no source of money other than money which people earn themselves. If the State wishes to spend more it can do so only by borrowing your savings or by taxing you more. It is no good thinking that someone else will pay—that ‘someone else’ is you. There is no such thing as public money; there is only taxpayers’ money.” Well that was true then and it is true today. Of course we are working within a budget and we have to be very very careful about what we do with other people’s money. But is it not great that we can today commemorate the passing of a fantastic woman Baroness Margaret Thatcher?I would like to celebrate all the other women in New Zealand who are doing so well. That is why I was so pleased to be able to appoint Dr Jackie Blue to the role of Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner—very good Jackie. Jackie Blue would have to be one of the least partisan MPs in this House—the least partisan. In fact I have always said: “See I have appointed a lefty.” so there you go. Would it not be great in this Parliament if we could have all the women celebrating Jackie’s success in her appointment? Some of you have and I would like to thank all the MPs—male and female—who have come to support Jackie and to offer her their sincere congratulations.Jackie Blue is an outstanding New Zealander who has spent her life helping others helping others in a Parliament that is normally very divisive and actually trying to bring people together. She has been chair of three cross-party parliamentarian groups. All of them have been around disadvantaged people—women in particular—and that actually makes Jackie Blue a fantastic appointment. I am really proud of that and I have to say that the country’s gain is the National Party’s loss Jackie. I am very pleased to have been able to do that.I come back to my favourite topic—Baroness Margaret Thatcher. Let us think about a few more quotes for the Opposition members because they are not very well read. Here is another one: “Pennies don’t fall from heaven they have to be earned here on earth.”