Swain Paul: Appropriation (2005/06 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Swain Paul: Appropriation (2005/06 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:627;Page:22249] 
Hon PAUL SWAIN (Minister of Labour) 
: 
 I detect a little bit of envy over there. I start to see the emergence of the green-eyed monster. Do members know why that is? It is because National members can see this election slipping away on them. Oh yes they can. The so-called great tax policy—which was going to be announced “soon” then was going to be announced when the election was called and will now be announced a bit later on—is in tatters. Their student policy has been shown up to be absolutely pitiful and now they can see the election slipping away on them. 
This has been a great Government. The way we have managed the economy and led New Zealand has been fabulous. The most important thing we have done for New Zealand has been to grow the economy. That has been the most important thing because as a result of that we now have some of the highest growth rates among the OECD we have more people working we have created over 260000 new jobs there are 100000 fewer working-age beneficiaries than there were in 1999 and we have been able to rebuild the services that were in rack and ruin and decay around New Zealand following 9 long years of that National Government. People will not forget that. 
What about the good things we have been able to do? What about family support and Working for Families? Over 300000 people will be $66 a week on average better off. What about paid parental leave which gives people the opportunity to be paid for 13 weeks when they have a baby? Boy that has taken away a lot of concern and pressure from a lot of ordinary families. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Do you think that was a good idea? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: It was a very good idea and I thank the Government for it. What about early childhood education? What about the quality we have been able to raise as a result of the policies in early childhood education? What about schools? There are more teachers over and above roll growth there is more money over and above inflation and there are more resources. Schools are on high-speed Internet on broadband and teachers and principals are getting laptops. 
What about the tertiary loan policy of no interest on student loans? What a ripper that has been! It went round the universities by text message like prairie fire. What about health? We have now been able to make health more affordable to ordinary New Zealanders particularly the young and the elderly. What about apprenticeships? National destroyed the apprenticeship system. We brought it back. One of the first things National did was to rip out the apprenticeship system and we have brought it back. There are around 9000 apprenticeships and we are of course looking to almost double that in the next 3 years. What about transport? It was absolutely in the doldrums under National. Look at the money that has gone back into transport. In my own region Wellington $885 million is going into transport including public transport and roading—all the things that were lying fallow under the National Government. 
What about pensions and pensioners? One of the things I am most proud of is that we restored the rate which National cut when it was in Government back to 65 percent of the average weekly wage. Asset testing is starting to come off next year and what about the rates rebate scheme which nothing has been done about since the 1970s? So this has been a fantastic Government. 
What about the National Party? It is doing a couple of things that everyone is scratching their heads over. First of all it is saying it will cut taxes. That is very very popular. But then it will spend more. It will cut taxes and spend more. People who watch  
Rove Live  
will know that that is a “What the …?”. Cutting taxes and spending more—“What the …?”—how does that work everybody wonders. If Governments could have done that everyone would have been doing it for years. We cannot cut taxes and spend more. It just does not add up. It is a classic  
Rove Live 
 “What the …?”. National is telling people that every New Zealander will get $40 or $50 from a tax cut. But National is also promising to spend billions more. National members say that defence spending will be up 20 percent—“What the … ?”. Then there are prisons. They will build six to 10 more at an average of probably around $1 billion to $2 billion. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Where are they going to build them? 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Well they are going to have to build them in a number of places. They are going to have to build one in Tauranga. I wonder whether the people of Tauranga know that the National Party is putting a prison near them— 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: With no resource consent! 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: Yes—so they will not even be able to object. What about up by the Albany coast? I wonder whether Murray McCully has told people that as part of the development up there as well as a prison in Auckland the people will be getting another prison and they will not have a chance to object? And what about Nelson? I bet that Nick Smith has not told the people of Nelson that they are most likely to get a jail down there and not be able to object. I bet he has not told the people of Nelson that there is likely to be another prison there because they will have to build six or 10 and they are going to have to go somewhere. Every time a prison is going to be built National Party members turn up en bloc and tell people how to stop them from being built. They say: “Use Maori cultural values; that’s how you do it.” So they lecture people on how to stop the prisons being built and they have the audacity and cheek to come in here and say that they will build six to 10 more and not tell people where they are going. It is a disgrace. And in roads of course there are billions and billions of dollars. 
Then National members say: “Don’t worry we’re going to borrow.” We are back to the old ”borrow and hope”—and what will happen when the economy goes soft as it is likely to do? If they borrow we know what happens. Interest rates go up. There is no question about that. That affects people’s mortgages. If interest rates go up 1 percent on a $100000 mortgage that is $19 a week. If one has a mortgage of $150000 that is $29 a week. They are eroding the very tax cut that that party says it will give to people. It does not add up. It is a  
Rove Live 
 “What the …?”. It is just ridiculous and that is why people are not going to buy it. 
This election will be about credibility leadership and trust—Helen Clark versus Don Brash. Well there is absolutely no match. Obviously all the good money is on Helen Clark and rightly so. What a bumbling amateur Don Brash is. He says: “Our nuclear policy is crystal clear.” Well of course to everybody it is because they want to get rid of it. But they have not been able to bring themselves to actually say it. If they came out and said: “We in the National Party say that the nuclear policy should be gone and we’re going to get rid of it.” people would say: “At least they’re honest about what they are saying.” But oh no. There was the old “gone by lunchtime” quote. Now Don Brash is saying that he does not recall it. He does not recall saying “gone by lunchtime”. He has just forgotten—political amnesia! 
Then he said: “No no we’re going to have a referendum to give people the chance to decide.” Then suddenly “referendum” went to “manifesto commitment”. They are weasel words and we know what that is all about and they have suffered in the polls as a result. And the classic the summary the most magnificent piece of wording that I have ever seen virtually in the  
National Business Review 
 
is this. Asked whether he thought National suffered for his initial unwillingness to give a clear line on the party’s Iraq policy Dr Brash said: “I can’t say.” He cannot say anything! He never knows what to say. He wants to say what he really thinks but he knows that it is not popular and he will go down in the polls. So it is all weasel words. 
What about Lockwood Smith yesterday? What a fiasco! At the same “gone by lunchtime” meeting he asked: “Would it be worthwhile to get American think tanks to help change New Zealand’s mind on nuclear policy?”. What an outrage! What an outrage from a senior National member of Parliament in a formal meeting with senators from America asking them to give National a hand to change people’s minds! Well the good thing that those senators said and rightly so was: “Changing people’s minds in New Zealand is not our business; it’s your business.” and rightly so. Do members know what was also said? Dr Smith now says this morning: “I don’t recall saying that.” That is another case of political amnesia. 
And what about Iraq? What a fiasco on that! He said: “I would have done what President Bush did.” but when asked eight times on television to clarify that and repeat it he said he would not do it. The problem is that Don Brash actually wants to say the things that deep down are part of his background—part of that extreme hard right-wing philosophy that he follows. He wants to say those things. One can see him bursting at the seams to say what he actually wants to say but he knows that if he does he will not get elected. 
Jill Pettis 
: He’ll be gone by lunchtime. 
Hon PAUL SWAIN 
: That leader of the National Party and that National Party will be gone by lunchtime.