Goff Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Goff Phil: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:653;Page:2048] 
2.  
Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Is it his policy as Prime Minister to save jobs and to protect the most vulnerable from the effects of the recession? 
Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes; unlike the Leader of the Opposition I do care about saving jobs for New Zealanders. This Government cares so much about this that it has undertaken a number of programmes. They include the ReStart package the small-business package the 9-day working fortnight $2.5 million of additional promotion of New Zealand tourism in Australia the reform of the Resource Management Act of course tax cuts— 
Hon Chris Carter 
: What about the cycleway? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: —and yes I say to Mr Carter the cycle track will also see people employed. The member should not worry; he will enjoy riding on it. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: What credibility does the Prime Minister have in telling New Zealanders struggling to make ends meet that they should donate their tax cuts to charity to help those in need when his own Government has done absolutely the opposite by slashing tax cuts legislated for by Labour for those on lower incomes which would have helped those people directly? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: I personally happen to believe in giving and I think it is a good message for New Zealanders who may not need to spend their tax cuts or may not want to save their tax cuts to give them away. Let me make just two points. The first is that when National announced this policy in Opposition it was greeted by the then Minister of the Labour Government Steve Maharey as Tory charity. Some weeks later the policy turned up in Michael Cullen’s Budget. That is how much the Labour Government thought of it when it heard about the policy from National. It liked it! The second point I will make is simply this one. Mr Goff is rapidly losing the title of being “Phil-in” but he will certainly not be thought of as “Phil-in-thropic” that is for sure. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I expected you to intervene on that comment. You have already ruled that comment out of order in the House and I expect that when people address members in a way that you have already ruled out we should not have to intervene. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: We are considering a point of order; both sides of the House might reflect on that. The Hon Trevor Mallard has made a perfectly valid point in his point of order which is that members should not be referred to by inappropriate names. I am sure the Prime Minister would have no problem with withdrawing that comment. I ask him to withdraw that use of inappropriate language. 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: I withdraw. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Thank you. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Does the Prime Minister accept the argument that focusing tax cuts on those in the greatest need would have been fairer and most effective in stimulating demand and saving jobs and businesses as economists and people like Rob Fyfe and Steven Tindall have pointed out to him directly? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: Firstly Rob Fyfe is a great bloke but he is not an economist. The second point is that I agree with the way the package is structured. It will be good for New Zealand it will be good for growth in this country and unlike under the Government that Phil Goff was a member of New Zealanders have not had to wait 9 years for a tax cut under our Government. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Does the Prime Minister accept that people in streets like McGehan Close—the people about whom he professed so much concern before the election—will be the people most vulnerable to losing their jobs at the present time and will also be the people who get absolutely nothing from the tax cuts he has legislated for; if so where is the evidence that he was sincere about his earlier professed concern? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: I have two points. It is not true that people in McGehan Close will not get a tax cut. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Oh it is. 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: Oh no it is not actually. For a start if they get an independent earner’s rebate then they will get $10 a week so they will certainly get something. Secondly I might add that the Leader of the Opposition should go and have a look at the ReStart programme because the way the ReStart programme works is that if somebody living in McGehan Close loses his or her job he or she will be getting $160 a week. Under the Labour package if the spouse of a multimillionaire lost his or her job and the multimillionaire continued in the job paying $2 million a year his or her spouse would have got something under Labour but a low-income person living in McGehan Close would have got absolutely nothing. The party that cares about all New Zealanders is on this side of the House. 
Sue Bradford 
: Does the Prime Minister agree that insulating cold damp houses and comprehensively improving their energy efficiency is good for our economy good for workers and good for health? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes I do agree that insulating housing is good for the economy and good for health. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Does the Prime Minister accept that the people in McGehan Close most of them families with dependent children and earning under $40000 a year will get absolutely nothing from his tax cuts? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: No I do not accept that. 
Sue Bradford 
: Has the Government done any work on assessing the—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member at the back of the Chamber has the floor and it is a little hard to hear from the back of the Chamber. 
Sue Bradford 
: Has the Government done any work on assessing the job losses that are likely to happen in the wake of possible funding cuts to the community and voluntary sector—for example if the Ministry of Social Development’s Pathways to Partnership programme is cancelled? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: I and the Government have certainly considered the impact on the voluntary sector. It is one of the reasons I spoke at the philanthropy conference last week and said that if New Zealanders want to give to all sorts of great charities out there then that will help. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: What is the latest estimate the Prime Minister has received from his officials on the cost of the proposed Cape Reinga to Bluff bicycle lane and the number of jobs that it will create? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: I have not had any updates in recent weeks. 
Sue Bradford 
: Does the Prime Minister agree that the community and voluntary sector plays a vital role in society in terms of both jobs created and the work it carries out; if so what steps will he take to ensure funding stability for organisations whose work will actually be needed more than ever in this time of recession? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes; the Government is in negotiations and discussions with the community and voluntary sector to make sure it is in the best shape it can be given the circumstances it faces which are difficult for everyone. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Will the Prime Minister support the call by the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) for workers to cash up 2 weeks of their annual leave given his support in this House for the US position of having only 2 weeks’ annual leave entitlement for workers? 
Hon JOHN KEY 
: No I will not. I have made it quite clear that I think it makes sense for people to potentially have the choice to cash in their fourth week. That will give them a 2 percent pay increase so they may choose to do that. Of course most workers will choose not to do that but this party believes in choice which is something the New Zealand public was robbed of for 9 years. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [ 
Interruption 
] I understood that members were not to interject on points of order. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member is absolutely right. There will be silence. The member can proceed with his point of order please. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: I seek leave of the House to table this document in which Mr Key says that the 4 weeks’ annual leave is a retrograde step and that he supports the American position— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It is not clear what the document is. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: The document is  
Hansard  
from 16 December 2003. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Thank you. Leave is sought to table  
Hansard 
. Is there any objection? There is objection.