Roche Denise: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoche Denise: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 01 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2795. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.DENISE ROCHE (Green) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: What is the size of the gap between the New Zealand minimum wage hourly rate and the Australian national minimum wage hourly rate?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): I am pleased to advise that today the gap between the two countries has closed thanks to the increase in the minimum wage which will put $1000 a year in the pockets of minimum-wage earners. An absolute measure of the gap between Australia and New Zealand is a little difficult due to changes in the exchange rate and the fact that Australia has minimum rates for youth and the disabled. But if we take the adult minimum wage of both countries today the gap is about $2.50. That compares with $4.16 in April 2008 after the last Labour-Green Government’s minimum-wage increase.Denise Roche: Has his Government dropped its 2008 goal to achieve pay parity with Australia; if not why has the average weekly earnings gap increased by $45.38 under National?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I would need to check the member’s data because they are not the same as mine. The gap in both the adult minimum wage and the average and median wages is closing as we committed to. The member does not need to take my word for it. She can take the word of the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who realise the grass is actually greener on this side of the Ditch and they are coming home.Denise Roche: I seek leave to table this document showing that the average weekly earnings gap between New Zealand and Australia adjusted for—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The source of the document is now all I require.Denise Roche: It was put together for me by the Parliamentary Library.Mr SPEAKER: We have started a pattern here that I might well regret. I will put the leave and it will be over to the House. Leave is sought to table that Parliamentary Library document. Is there any objection? No.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Denise Roche: How much would the average earnings gap between Australia and New Zealand reduce if his Government simply paid the same minimum wage as Australia?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I do not have that data to hand because the primary question was actually about the minimum wage but what I can tell the member is that if the minimum wage moved to the adult Australian minimum wage the cost would be 15000 jobs—15000 jobs. This Government is not prepared to throw people on the scrap heap just for a whim.Denise Roche: Would he agree that if New Zealand’s economy relies on paying 300000 people wages so low that they are trapped below the poverty line it is not really an economy that is working for all of us?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I would agree with the member that the goal is to create an economy that means that all employees are paid appropriately for their skills and experience and I also note that under this Government the adult minimum wage has gone up by more than $110 a week. That is $5700 a year. But you cannot get higher wages with the stroke of a pen. Otherwise you would be putting the minimum wage up to $30 $40 $50 an hour.