Parker David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Parker David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 26 July 2012. Volume:682;Page:4011. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
3. 
Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: Does he stand by his statement regarding migration to Australia “What’s the point of standing in the airport crying about it?”; if so how many of the 53763 people that migrated to Australia in the year to June 2012 are from 18 to 30 years of age in number and percentage terms? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance) 
: 
 Yes; and as I said in the rest of that statement we have just got to compete. New Zealand should show the aspiration and confidence that it can compete with a larger more wealthy economy for our young people’s talent instead of just worrying about it. So 21585 people aged 18 to 30 migrated to Australia in the year to June 2012—about 40 percent of the total. I note that in the 9 years to June 2008 when economic conditions were more benign 305800 New Zealanders left for Australia and around 36 percent of them were aged 18 to 30. 
Hon David Parker 
: Does he agree with the findings of the  
New Zealand Herald 
 “Mood of the Boardroom” survey which found that out of eight critical issues his Government has performed worst on stemming the outward flow of Kiwis? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: No and as I suggested to the large group of business leaders in the room it is up to them to compete for that talent by showing the leadership and the opportunities to our young New Zealanders. If they are waiting around for someone to do that on their behalf then they can rely on this Government to create positive conditions but it is in the workplaces of New Zealand that young people will see the opportunities that attract them. It is time we showed the confidence that we can compete with Australia. 
Hon David Parker 
: Does he think it is sustainable to lose 21000 people per annum to Australia—the equivalent of the entire student body of Otago or Victoria universities? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I do not think that is going to continue because the relative economic performance of New Zealand and Australia is starting to close the gap. If we persist with the Government’s broad-based economic programme to create jobs and opportunities and fix problems like housing affordability then we will be able to compete with Australia for our young talent. That is better than telling our young people that the Government is going to waste more of their money borrow more and not support the businesses that provide their jobs—which is Labour’s policy. 
Hon David Parker 
: When he said yesterday that migration rates are correlated to growth rates does the fact that New Zealand experienced the highest number ever of people migrating to Australia in a 12-month period signify that he has failed in his goal of growing the New Zealand economy and instead is growing the Australian economy by sending 20000 young New Zealanders there a year? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: No what it signifies is that Australia has had a once-in-a-100-year increase in its income because of its coal and iron-ore boom. That gave Australia higher growth rates—for a short time—than New Zealand’s. We would expect that as our own programme starts to have a positive impact on the New Zealand economy those flows will change. 
Hon David Parker 
: Given that young people are leaving in droves to Australia what plans does he have to ensure the long-term sustainability of superannuation given the changing age profile particularly in light of the fact that 88 percent of the chief executive officers in the “Mood of the Boardroom” survey said that National is completely on the wrong side and out to lunch on the issue of raising the age of eligibility for superannuation? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: The most important thing for New Zealand superannuation is a thriving economy. If we do not have a thriving economy then in the future superannuitants will not have adequate superannuation. That is why we are focusing on encouraging businesses to invest and employ. We are focusing on using our natural resources through oil and gas exploration and mining and on supporting our primary industries so they can be more competitive on the global stage—all of which are policies that the Opposition oppose.