Cosgrove Clayton: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCosgrove Clayton: General Debate[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19673. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour):That was an interesting speech by Jo Goodhew and obviously that member is proud of her record. I take the opportunity to wish Tony Ryall well. We have sparred occasionally in the House but I will say this: for Mr Ryall sadly along with Bill English one of his political epitaphs—which the member never of course referenced as a proud moment in this House—will be the running-down of Solid Energy into the ground to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars to the tune of 1000 jobs and all the while that member her colleagues the Minister of Finance and the outgoing Minister for State Owned Enterprises sat by fully advised by their officials and did nothing. That is their version of a hands-off free-market economy. I believe in the free-market economy but I believe that Ministers are paid a big whack of a salary to do their job and to ensure that boards do theirs and management do theirs.There are some significant problems in our economy and in the life of this country: 260000 children live in poverty and our manufacturers are struggling because this Government will not come to terms with much-needed monetary reform. We have proposed solutions to both those problems. We have proposed reforms quite substantial reforms in respect of monetary policy. Paid parental leave a desperate cry for parents to be supported; our early childhood education having its funding restored; and lowering our class sizes—these are all solutions that this side of the House along with others in other parties have promoted.But there is a biblical saying—dredging up my old Catholic Sunday school roots; I think it is Proverbs 26:11—and it goes like this: “As a dog returneth to its vomit so a fool returneth to his folly.” Look at the litany and the priorities of this Government. “Brown Bag Banks” is soon to be sentenced and may be doing porridge in striped sunshine in about 48 hours—a Minister in this Government. Judith Collins—Oravida—caught feathering her own nest. She was feathering her own nest and to this day she will not front up with critical information. Then of course another Minister—Tim Macindoe: This is “Vote Positive” isn’t it? This will go down really well on the hustings.Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: If you are going to interject sonny sit in your seat and obey the rules or take a call. Then there is Peter Dunne. Peter Dunne is the Maxwell Smart of the New Zealand Parliament 006½ leaking national security reports but he is still a Minister in the Government.Then we have Gerry Brownlee. I have got to say this about Gerry Brownlee and I will quote from Bill English when he was referencing the law back in 2006. Bill English said this: “You see respect for the rule of law is a positive quality; it is not just obedience under the fear of discovery and punishment.” Well you can tell when a Government is moving into that zone of being out of touch. The sort of human blunderbuss Gerry Brownlee apparently is on top of every aspect of his portfolio—every aspect of his portfolio—but struggles to know which door to get through or which door to try to get through or which rules to obey at a particular airport even though he is or was the Minister responsible for aviation security. Mr Brownlee does not of course have the decency to write to the volunteer whom I met a couple of days ago and personally apologise. He does not have the grace to write to the chief executive of the airport company and say: “OK I did this. My cop. My staff did it. This guy is a volunteer. Do not sanction him. He is a decent human being.”—and he is—oh no.The Prime Minister of course is great at talking about lifting standards and we will not talk about the member who is not here in respect of her expenses. We will not go back and regurgitate the bile that is Mr Dunne the bile that is John Banks and other Ministers who have gone. Oh no anything goes in terms of the high standards and the arrogance of this Government.Well I say to the people of New Zealand that we have proposed a series of solutions. We have proposed a series of solutions like reforming superannuation and dealing with the housing crisis by actually building houses—100000 houses over 10 years. When I went to school you solved problems in a practical way not with accords that do not exist. After 2 years there are zero houses through the Auckland Housing Accord.We have proposed a series of solutions and positive solutions. I say compare us on this side of the House with those opposite who exhibit every sign of political decay and arrogance—and Gerry Brownlee is a big target to pin that one on. They show every sign of political arrogance—that they are somehow above the ordinary folk out there they are somehow better and they know better than the ordinary folk out there. Well I say that that is the first sign of constitutional and political decay. I suggest that Mr Brownlee and others look at the level of decency look at the so-called high standards and make some substantial changes. There is indeed a difference and a choice in the next election.