Hughes Darren: General Debate 
Hughes Darren: General Debate 
[Volume:643;Page:12868] 
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Deputy Leader of the House) 
: 
 If there was ever a party in Parliament that should not talk about a social policy record I would have thought it would be the National Party. To be lectured by that member Jackie Blue who obviously knows nothing about her own political party’s track record on health care in New Zealand is just a disgrace. 
Does that member know that when National was in Government in the 1990s there were cash registers in our hospitals? Is the member aware of that? Does she know that people used to have to pay $50 a night just to stay at a public hospital? I ask the National Party’s associate health spokesperson right now whether she thinks that was a good idea or a bad idea. Well Dr Blue had a lot to say during the debate when she read out line by line the research unit notes but she is not so quick on her feet when we ask her a question not about the Government but about her own party and her own policy in terms of the National Party. 
 She talked about the number of members of Parliament from Labour who had had the privilege of serving as Minister of Health which as everybody knows is a difficult challenging and rewarding portfolio. But she did not know about her own party—that in the time that Labour has been on the Treasury benches there have been six National Party spokespersons on health and not a single health policy. That mob went to the last election without a health policy. That is how serious they are about trying to help people out. What do we have on this side of the House? 
Christopher Finlayson 
: We want to hear about your health policy. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: I am very happy to tell members about Labour’s health policy. Labour introduced primary health organisations and now people pay up to half of the fee of going to the doctor that they paid when the National Government ruled New Zealand. 
In my electorate of Otaki people pay no more than a $3 prescription charge. That is Labour’s policy and that is what this Government is doing in the public health area because we believe in it. We do not try to hide our health policy; we put in the specifics and basics that will help real ordinary people. That is what being in Government is about; it is about having policies that will make a difference for people. 
Members opposite laugh and jeer but when National put together a health discussion document and put it out to the public what was the key thing that was missing? National missed out one statistic when it released its health policy if I may refer to a new portfolio that I am becoming familiar with. One statistic that National missed out when it released its health policy was the fact that it was going to put up general practitioners’ fees. That is the very part of the health system that most members of the public access on a day-by-day basis. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: They would remove the cap. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: National has said it would remove the cap on those fees. Tony Ryall had said in his nonchalant way: “Oh that’s a ridiculous Labour idea; we’re going to knock it on the head.” He said it in such a matter-of-fact manner; I am amazed we have not heard about it since. 
When Labour announces a policy people hear about it day and night. My fellow colleagues have been talking today about the speech the Prime Minister gave at our very successful conference and about all the policies that were rehearsed and recited by her as we focused on working towards the future. We talk about our policies because firstly we have thought about them; secondly we all agree on our policies; and thirdly we want to go out there and promote them because we think they are going to help New Zealand to be the just vibrant and inclusive place we know it can be. 
When the National Party announces a policy the first part of the media cycle is how none of those members really agree with it; the second part of the cycle is how a bit of the policy came out that was not meant to; and the third part of the cycle of the great strategy is how those members make sure they never mention it again. So when Dr Jackie Blue the National Party spokesperson on health got up and made a 5-minute contribution to Parliament she did not once mention National’s health discussion document because she is embarrassed about it. 
I am proud of our Primary Health Care Strategy. I am proud that we have halved doctors’ fees for working families in New Zealand. I am proud that it does not cost any more than $3 for a subsidised prescription item. Those are good things for our families and for our community. But National is embarrassed about its policies. 
Labour is coming into Parliament for the rest of this year and through to the next election saying we are working towards the future. We want to have policies that make a difference for people. We want to make sure that the policies of this Government actually do come in and change New Zealand for the better. 
National members can try to rehearse all the arguments of the 1990s. They can try to hide all the policies they would like to introduce. They can try to do all these far-right-wing things by having massive tax cuts when Labour is talking about sustainable and responsible tax cuts balanced off with the social spending on priorities. [ 
Interruption 
] National members are screaming and shouting. 
When John Hayes member for Wairarapa was campaigning around the Wairarapa at the last election did he say: “Send me to Parliament and I will vote to keep business taxes higher than Labour wants to have them.”? Did he say that? He did not say that but he came to Parliament and on to the floor of this Chamber and voted for higher business taxes than a Labour Government will deliver. I wonder whether when Chris Finlayson made his two or three appearances on the election campaign trail in the Mana electorate he said: “When I get to Parliament I’m going to vote for higher taxes on savers than a Labour Government will do.” When Nathan Guy was running his shambolic campaign around the great Otaki electorate did he say to working families: “I’m going to make sure that Darren Hughes has lower taxes for your family than I want.”? Not one of them said it. People should vote for Labour.