Benson-Pope David: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Benson-Pope David: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:606;Page:3458] 
DAVID BENSON-POPE (NZ Labour—Dunedin South) 
: 
 The Government certainly finds itself in an extraordinary position at the beginning of another year and only three months into its second term. Over the last 3 years we have had extraordinarily strong leadership which has been welcomed by the community and the stable Government that New Zealanders want. That is why we have such a firm platform on which to build. In the last 6 months the new Government has made significant progress in delivering the commitments we made at election time.  
We have improved access to primary health-care and that has been for us a top priority because we know it is better to prevent illness and tackle health problems early rather than concentrate on secondary and tertiary services in the first instance. Already the primary health organisations are providing a range of primary health-care services to over 500000 New Zealanders. The majority are therefore guaranteed lower costs and assured of access to comprehensive and coordinated primary health-care. A further 25 primary health organisations will start by 1 April and by then it is estimated that 1.4 million New Zealanders will be enrolled in those organisations. What a great achievement! I congratulate my colleague Annette King on such progress.  
We have a growing economy. There has been an increase in activity of 3.9 percent in the year ended September—so more people are in real jobs. There are almost 15500 fewer people on the main unemployment benefit than there were a year ago— 
Ron Mark 
: What amount is casual labour? 
DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: I tell Mr Mark there are almost 120000 more jobs than there were in December 1999. In addition yesterday those extraordinary unemployment figures from the household labour force survey were released. They are the best figures in more than 15 years. Unemployment is continuing to trend down across all sectors and is now at an extraordinarily pleasing 4.9 percent. That is great news for all New Zealanders.  
This Government has assured victims a fairer deal. The Victims’ Rights Act passed in October 2002 gives victims the mandatory rights they have long deserved. We have cut the cost of tertiary education committing $420 million over 4 years in that area. If we had not halted the fee increases of the 1990s students would be paying on average $1000 more a year and facing further increases this year. We have made major progress on Maori television. That is a key element for the enrichment of the cultural fabric of this country and we should all welcome its arrival. In the compulsory education sector we are funding more than 700 teaching positions over and above what would have been required for roll growth alone and we will continue to invest in increased teacher numbers. We are strengthening and expanding opportunities for people to learn in the workplace. By the end of the year we will have 6000 young people in Modern Apprenticeships—an increase of 100 percent since the middle of last year. On the environmental front we have ratified at long last the Kyoto Protocol to start making some positive improvements in the long-term health of this planet. 
This Government will continue to provide stability and strong leadership. We know that there is no reason for complacency or self-satisfaction. We have set ourselves tough goals and we are going to achieve them over the next 3 years and into the long-term future. Our aim—an aim that is supported by the New Zealand community—is to build and sustain solid levels of economic growth and to fund good public services for all New Zealanders. We have well and truly rejected the discredited directions of the 1990s—the direction that the sad people on the opposing benches seem to want to reintroduce. 
Ron Mark 
: What happened in 1984? Were you asleep? 
DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: We will continue to work to offer more opportunity and security and a better quality of life for all New Zealanders—even Ron Mark.  
Compare that with the performance of the lazy leaderless lot opposite. The most telling indication for me is the almost total absence of National Party members from the Chamber over the last 3 days. We have seen sometimes three often two frequently only one person or a whip on the National Party benches. It appears that they have already given up to New Zealand First their claimed role as the prime party of Opposition. Many in the media and around Wellington are now referring to the National Party as “absent without leave” perhaps even “missing in action”—as my colleague Trevor Mallard commented earlier. I know I cannot name them but I welcome the presence of the three members of the National Party who have deigned to come into the debating chamber this afternoon. The best those people can do is compliment the Government by referring to us as a three-term Government and confirm that most powerful criticism of all—that we have done what we said we would do. Thanks Mr English. For us it doesn’t get any better than that!  
What else is there? Let us look at ACT with its schemes and scams. We know about Owen Jennings and his pyramid schemes; Rodney Hide with his mysterious dealings in Fiji and now it appears that there are rather more pressing concerns closer to home. Ken “Kangaroo Court” Shirley has been accused of defamation by the West Coast police. 
John Carter 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Members are to be referred to by their names and not by all sorts of innuendo.  
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: That is absolutely correct. The member will use the proper name. 
DAVID BENSON-POPE 
: Ken Shirley was accused by the West Coast police of defamation. Not one of those members is without a dark cloud somewhere and unlike most dark clouds there is no silver lining to be seen. The community is finally seeing ACT and its new supporters for the political cockroaches they are.  
New Zealanders are delighted that Mr Prebble’s little house of cards is finally tumbling down. Let us focus for a moment on Mr Prebble. The presenter of  
Morning Report  
of Tuesday this week said: “The ACT leader Richard Prebble says that as far as he is concerned Mrs Awatere Huata’s days as an ACT MP end today.” In his own speak Richard Prebble said: “Well using the British parliamentary example we are withdrawing the whip and we are saying to Parliament that Donna Awatere Huata is not an ACT MP and we are not prepared to vote her. In our system that will mean that we will be voting eight instead of nine MPs.” Mr Prebble continued: “As far as I am concerned the principle is that we are not prepared to vote her because she has not met the standards required of ACT MPs.”  
From the behaviour of the members of that party they are not very high standards but that quote came from the self-imposed master of the rules. He wrote to the Speaker at the same time as the suspension knowing full well that the decisive suspension has no effect in terms of the Standing Orders. Mr Prebble cannot have it both ways. Either Mrs Huata is an ACT member or she is not. Can we reconcile Mr Prebble’s words to Parliament stating that Donna Awatere Huata is not an ACT MP and they are not prepared to vote for her? Can we reconcile those words with Mr Prebble’s cynical manipulation of the Standing Orders? No we cannot. So which way does it run? Do we assume like everything else from ACT that it is really about keeping one’s hands on as much of the money as one can and making sure those nameless backers of the ACT party out in the darkness get their way in this society?  
What else is there at the bottom of the bucket? Well there is poor benighted New Zealand First. The dog legislation and its godfather! He is not in the House. We in this House have all noticed that in the absence of its leader Winston Peters that party has neither policy nor any knowledge about what to do. And poor benighted Dail Jones gets it oh so wrong. Without Mr Jones and Mr Prebble that legislation would have already been with a select committee. Without those members that select committee could already have been inviting public submissions. Without those members playing their stupid games the community could already be having their say about the development of policy and law in this Government. They have not got it yet! Why do we enjoy such support in the polls? Why do 20 percent of committed National voters prefer Helen Clark over their own leader? Why is 60 percent of the population and 71 percent of business convinced that this country is proceeding in the right direction? Because we consult listen to the community and do what we tell the community we will do.  
As my colleague mentioned earlier voters in Clutha have not missed the significance of the closure of Mr English’s electorate office. I think they are telling Mr English that it is time for him to find a post office and line up in Dr Brash’s queue.