Hayes John: Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 3) — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHayes John: Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 3) — First Reading[Sitting date: 27 August 2013. Volume:693;Page:13027. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JOHN HAYES (National—Wairarapa): That was a particularly interesting intervention from the member Tracey Martin from the New Zealand First Party. Her leader was at most of the meetings of the Finance and Expenditure Committee where issues around student loans have been discussed over the last 18 months and not one of the ideas that she brought up and aired in the House this evening was ever expressed to the committee by her leader who had ample opportunity to do so over the last 2 years. It is quite astonishing really.As I listened to the debate in the House this evening there is a disconnect between the views of those in the Labour Party those in the Green Party and those in New Zealand First and reality. The reality is this: we are not dealing here with the Government’s money and that seems to underpin most of the comments I have heard tonight. We are dealing with money that has been taken out of taxpayers’ pockets. I am thinking ofLachie the calf-feeder in Greytown who gets paid $20 an hour for his work starting at about 4 in the morning and going through the day. The money comes from his taxes. I think of Lindsay the builder who is working on my own house at the moment for $20 a year. He has never had a rise in 6 years. That money has come out of his—[Interruption] He works for a contractor and this money is coming out of their pockets. They are paying the taxes for people like you to fund your own education and you come into this House and you have not paid your loan back to those people. You still declare it as a pecuniary interest because it is better for you to have an interest-free loan than to pay the money back.Dr Megan Woods: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was not aware that you had a loan that you declared as your pecuniary interest.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Thank you. I just caution the member to be very careful about what he is saying.JOHN HAYES: Well I am being quite straightforward about this. This money came out of taxpayer pockets and the hypocrisy on that side of the House—The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! The member will withdraw that comment. You cannot say that word in this House. Withdraw the comment.JOHN HAYES: I withdraw the comment. What I find is the disconnect and I cannot build an association between those people who on the one hand profess to help the downtrodden and take money out of their pockets put it into their own pockets take the loans come in here on $140000 or $150000 a year and pay nothing back. It is outrageous—absolutely outrageous. Our interest-free student loan scheme is the mostgenerous in the Western World and we want to keep it that way. The student loan scheme represents a huge financial commitment by taxpayers—by ordinary people. This is not the Government’s money; this is community money which comes out of people’s pockets.We want to support students in tertiary education but it is really important for students to take personal responsibility for repaying their loans particularly when they are on a good salary. It should be done more quickly. Overseas borrowers are continuing to let the side down with slow repayments and high levels of loan defaults compared with those who stay in New Zealand and pay off their loans. As the New Zealand First member pointed out since 1992 14 percent of students have not paid back their loans after 21 years. I think that is unacceptable.Although the Government has made some progress with these overseas-based borrowers it is time to up the ante. If left to my own devices I would cancel their passports. I would not renew them until the loans have been paid. This bill does not go that far but it goes some way to encourage the money to be paid back and we need that to happen to keep faith with ordinary taxpayers. Thank you.