McAnulty KieranGENERAL DEBATEHon KIERAN McANULTY (Labour): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. Why can't this Government just be upfront with New Zealanders? How hard is it to stand up to this country and actually tell it like it is? It shouldn't be that much to expect that a Government takes responsibility for the decisions that it makes. And every single question time we see the Government obfuscate and duck for cover and fiddle the numbers and blame everybody else except them.We saw it today: 8000 construction jobs gone. They are the ones that have stopped Kāinga Ora building. They are the ones that had an eight-month gap of uncertainty that caused the likes of the Salvation Army to cancel projects. They are the ones that have pulled funding from councils so pipes aren't going in the ground. They are the ones that have gutted the sector causing the apprentices that we trained to go overseas. And whose fault is it according to them? Everybody else except the Government.We had the Prime Minister come to the local government conference this week—after scrapping the affordable water reforms and pushing all responsibility back on councils and scrapping the recommendations from the Future for Local Government Review which would have helped councils—and turn around and blame councils for rates going up when it's actually at the feet of the Government. They know it's at the feet of the Government and they're doing it on purpose because they want to shift the blame.This Government has never been upfront. They weren't upfront during the election campaign when every single person in the country except Nicola Willis could see that her tax plan did not add up. Then they brought the tax plan in and lo and behold they've got no money! So they're stripping money left right and centre. They are cutting everywhere they possibly can and yet they're looking New Zealanders in the eye and they're saying these cuts are not affecting front-line services. Doctors come forward and say We've had to close our health centre because we have no staff." What does the Minister say? "That's not true."When you've got a situation where the Government says one thing and the Opposition says another there's a pretty simple solution to this: talk to those on the front line. Who are they? The doctors. I think it shows a fair bit of gall and a fair bit of arrogance for a Minister to stand up in Parliament and say that doctors are lying to say that nurses are lying and social workers are lying because they are the ones who are impacted. Those front-line workers and patients are the ones that are copping it because of this Government's decision. Do they take responsibility? Absolutely not.Housing is another area. They've stripped money from community housing providers. They've stopped Kāinga Ora building houses. They've made it harder for people to enter into emergency housing. And then they turn around and they say "Hey look we're succeeding. Fewer people are accessing emergency housing." Well it doesn't take a fool to figure out why. But that's the thing. This Government is treating New Zealanders like fools. They are treating New Zealanders as if they are thick. They think that if they look New Zealanders in the eye and say one thing—bugger the evidence; it doesn't matter—because we said it therefore it must count.Look at what they've been saying about energy trying to pull the wool over New Zealanders' eyes and saying it is down to the ban—Sam Uffindell: We've brought the prices down Kieran. Have you not seen the spot price mate?Hon KIERAN McANULTY: It is an absolute crock Uffindell. You wouldn't have a clue. They're standing there saying that a ban on oil and gas which actually was still looking for oil and gas and hasn't found one in 20 years is why Uffindell has to pay so much more for his power. He's almost paying more for his power than he pays for his grocery bill that one time a month that he does it for his wife.But I think what sums it up—I've just been sent something here. It's from Dan Bidois' pamphlet—Dan Bidois' pamphlet—that says "Materially improving housing supply is the only solution to this challenge." This is what he sent his constituents: "These are the actions under way from this Government to address housing supply: giving police tougher powers capping the use of sentence discounts setting up military-style academies. There is no silver bullet to improving the housing supply but we are throwing everything at it." They are throwing everything at it but they have no examples to give because they're all talk. And if they were upfront with New Zealanders they would say "We conned you in the election we're not being upfront with you now." That's what this country deserves: an honest Government."