Benson-Pope David: General Debates 
Benson-Pope David: General Debates 
[Volume:617;Page:13075] 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister of Fisheries) 
: 
 I can commend to the House this publication for the first quarter. It is independently written by the  
Otago Outlook 
 organisation which is a trans-regional body of district councils in Otago. It makes amazing reading and I will table it after my comments. The key thing about this document is that every indicator of economic success not only points in the right direction but measures hugely significant quantifiable gains. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: What about exports? 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: Retail sales in Otago are up 14 percent I can tell Mr Peters. Residential building consents are up 22 percent the value of non-residential building consents is up 62 percent and—most interesting—the net inflow of long-term arrivals to the region has increased by 100 percent. Possibly the most important thing of all and members will be able to see this is that only one arrow is pointing down. That is because it refers to the number of registered job seekers and that is down by 24 percent. This is a story the region is very proud of and it is worth trumpeting. 
But let us not be fooled that success like that is happening in isolation. I am glad to be able to tell this House that this good-news story is being repeated the length and breadth of this country. The country’s provincial heartland and its cities are in very good shape. The reason why is the good shape of this economy. Under the prudent financial management of this Labour-Progressive Government every economic indicator is as good as the regional ones I have just mentioned for Otago. The latest household labour force survey shows unemployment dropping to 4.3 percent—the lowest rate of unemployment in 16 years. More New Zealanders are in work and these results confirm that the number of jobs in the economy continues to grow. There are 17000 more people in work since last December and 61000 more than there were a year ago. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Do not let that pathetic member tell us that this Government is not delivering. Things are good. They are very good so we should not be surprised at the tactics of the dirty and the desperate—dirty divisive downright dishonest—from a party over there with neither policy nor principle and with only one angle. We have all been waiting— 
Dail Jones 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The last few words from that member in talking about dirty dishonest and divisive tactics from the “party over there”—which could be any of about four parties in this Parliament—I am sure are totally out of order. We cannot say “dirty” or “dishonest” and that must be a matter for withdrawal and apology. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I thank the member for that. We are not required to know to whom it was directed. It is unparliamentary and the member will please withdraw. 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I withdraw. So what did that National Party trot out last week? National’s spokesperson on defence Simon Power number three in the pecking order committed New Zealand’s troops to go wherever the United States wanted them—when and wheresoever. With wording like that no slip could ever be so pompous and ponderous. 
It was also the week in which their dithering leader had to acknowledge that he had after all made remarks to visiting US senators that New Zealand’s nuclear policy would “change by lunchtime even” if National came to power. May I remind him that he was the person who challenged Mr Goff to produce the evidence. I tell that member he cannot have it both ways but if he were more forthright in the first place he would not have difficulties like that. 
It was a week that National’s spokesperson on the environment one of their most experienced parliamentarians Nick Smith indicated that the position of the US and Australia on the Kyoto Protocol would be the driver of whether New Zealand actually followed through on its international commitments on global warming. Yes we wanted the debate to be moved on but what did we get? There were three National members in a row singing “Yankee Doodle Dandy” 
. 
 I do not know who the “Yankee” is and I do not know who the “Dandy” is but the “Doodle” has certainly identified himself. 
We all know what it is that National stands against—every single policy initiative of the current Labour Government. It is easy to be in Opposition and oppose things. But we want National members to start debating what it is they stand for. Except that we know they do not stand for very much. The Labour Government has funded 6500 Modern Apprenticeships guaranteeing the right of young people to get into the workforce. How many apprenticeships did National give this country? It left it to the market and that is why National members are sitting on the Opposition benches. 
This Labour-Progressive Government set up Kiwibank. That bank has met or beaten every financial and performance target since it opened for business in February 2002. What does the ditherer want to do? He wants to sell it off of course. He is unable to unhitch his party from that sad privatisation bandwagon that got the party unelected in 1999. National will do anything to advance the cause of the elite self-appointed few who back it. This Labour Government is committed to keeping New Zealand nuclear-free—end of story. What does the “uncomfortable” one say? He may or may not be thinking about the possibility or impossibility of letting nuclear-propelled or perhaps not nuclear-armed ships sometime definitely possibly enter.