Hughes Darren: General Debate 
Hughes Darren: General Debate 
[Volume:646;Page:15281] 
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Deputy Leader of the House) 
: 
 I briefly join the member for Te Tai Tokerau in the comments he made about Tumu Putaura who passed away last evening. A lot of the people who work in these buildings and support us become like friends because we spend so much time in these buildings. I recall that when I came back from my first visit to the Cook Islands Tumu wanted to know every single thing I had done—he was so proud of where he was from despite the fact that he had lived in New Zealand for so long. I think we were all upset and sad to learn of his passing last evening. So I thank the member for his comments. 
This week the Government has been signalling the great new policies that have been starting under this Helen Clark - Labour-led Government. When we look at the policies that have come in that are benefiting a range of people a wide cross-section of our society it is clear that this Government has a plan for the future. It is a plan for the future that involves all our people being given the opportunity to reach their goals and achieve their dreams. This Government is not interested in just some people doing well or just some people getting advancement or just some people getting the benefit of things; this Government is making sure we can deliver to all communities. 
My other colleagues have spoken about the changes in taxation around business taxes and research and development credits and about the great work the Government has done for the charitable sector in changing the tax rules on charitable donations. Now that the cap has come off for charitable giving it will hopefully unleash a wave of philanthropy amongst New Zealanders to help those delivering essential social services with the Government. 
As the Hon Lianne Dalziel reminded us the minimum wage has gone up. I want to put that on the record. The minimum wage is now $12 an hour and this is part of our arrangement with New Zealand First. I know that the Green Party and the Maori Party are very supportive of that as well. What the increase means for the workers at the bottom of the heap the people who need the biggest hand-up from our society is that they are $200 a week better off than they would have been if National had been in Government. They are better off because there has been a Labour-led Government. As we heard during question time the only time the minimum wage was put up by members opposite when in Government for over 9 years was by 87.5c when the Rt Hon Winston Peters was Treasurer. 
One of the great things about this week is seeing the contrast. We see a Government with a plan for the future and with policies for all people versus an Opposition that is tired and is either recycling or hiding old ideas and being very very slippery when it comes to telling us the difference between those two positions. 
As Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment one of the things we have done this week that I am really proud of is that we have delivered to older New Zealanders. This week over half a million people receiving New Zealand superannuation get increases in their income as a result of that policy change. It is significant. A married couple will receive $27 extra a fortnight. This Government is listening and knows that there is a lot of pressure on basic food items and on things like petrol and electricity. We hear people saying they are struggling at the moment with those things— 
Chris Auchinvole 
: They are. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: —because we have very high international dairy prices and so on and so forth. That means that those kinds of rises are necessary. I hear an Opposition member saying that yes people are finding it a bit hard with those basics rising in price. How do Opposition members think that people can get by paying for the basics if their income is being cut? There is silence now because they have no idea. Let me tell those members over there a little statistic that they might find useful. If the National members were sitting on the Government benches today a married couple on a pension would be $34 a week worse off. We know that pensions get paid every fortnight so that means those married couples would be $68 a fortnight worse off if there had not been a Labour Government. That just shows the importance of keeping these social development policies going. There is no way that pensioners can have a plan for the future if their income is being cut. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Don’t talk rubbish! 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: Tau Henare says “Don’t talk rubbish!”. He was a Minister— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: You were in nappies when I was a Minister. 
Hon DARREN HUGHES 
: He was a Minister who voted to let the floor of New Zealand superannuation fall to 60 percent of the average wage and all he can do is make reference to how old I was when that happened. That does not excuse him for the crime of voting to cut the pension for older New Zealanders. What is worse is that today he supports National’s Minister of Finance Bill English who cut the pension for older people. What guarantee have we got that that will not happen again? Absolutely none because yesterday when John Key was asked the very simple question about annual general adjustments for social security benefits and for New Zealand superannuation he said: “Ah well um—we’re not sure.” He has no idea at all about anything to do with the machinery of Government. 
But that is no surprise whatsoever to me because we know that the National Party will leave a lot of blanks. We know that when it put up its health policy it forgot to mention that doctors’ fees would go up. There is a word beginning with “s” and ending in “lippery” that probably goes with that. The Opposition party that is responsible for that policy will have to account for it as it goes forward. Those members really are a disgrace.