Maharey Steve: General Debates 
Maharey Steve: General Debates 
[Volume:619;Page:14812] 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 We all know that the three most-used words by the individuals who make up the National Party are: “Why not me?”. Those words have been heard a lot around this Parliament over the last little while because of the latest Brash reshuffle. The National Party by my count has changed its leader three times and its deputy leader four times since Labour has been in Government and it has reshuffled so often that we on this side of the House are getting dizzy. It has reshuffled so often that we simply cannot keep up with the people it is moving backwards and forwards. Each time a reshuffle takes place the words “Why not me?” echo around Khandallah Remuera Fendalton and gentlemen’s clubs all over the country. 
As members of the out-group Roger Sowry and Lynda Scott have already decided “why not them” and they have gone. They have answered the question. They have gone. But what must it feel like to be still here? National thinks that whipping is so important that the No. 3 slot in the party has gone to Simon Power. Whipping is now the No. 3 issue for the National Party. It thinks that finance is so unimportant that John Key is on the second bench. It thinks that health is so unimportant that its only doctor Paul Hutchison cannot get the job as health spokesperson. Not even mindless loyalty pays off because Lockwood Smith has not moved at all. 
This is not a party that is getting down to the hard work of developing policy to lead this country into the 21st century; this is a party of wounded egos of mistrust and of personal ambition. The incredibly ambitious Mr John Key who already has his eye on leadership has distanced himself day by day from super Don Brash. On the issue of superannuation Don Brash says: “Don’t like it.” On the issue of superannuation John Key calls it the “Cullen fund” and says: “We have to keep it.” He loves our policy. John Key raised in State housing loves the policies of the Labour-led Government. Well that party is turning into a party that is preoccupied with itself. Over here this stable capable united Government is leading Kiwis into being ambitious for themselves for their families and for their nation. We are doing an amazing job. 
Yesterday we heard that unemployment is the lowest it has been for 20 years. At 4 percent it is second only to one other country in the world. There are more people in paid work than ever. Maori unemployment is down unemployment figures for Pacific Islanders are down regional unemployment is down and long-term unemployment is down. I can only say that when it comes to our economy and employment everything that should be up is up and everything that should be down is down. That is the nature of New Zealand today. The National Party said that this is luck. It said that it is a lot of luck. Then it said that it is a lucky streak. Finally symbolised by John Key on the second bench it has agreed that the country is doing so well that it can forget about the economy and jobs because everything is going in the right direction and it has to continue to grow. 
 It must hurt the National Party with its emphasis on whipping to know that the economy is going to grow and that jobs will continue to appear but we have not finished yet. On this side of the House our response to this is we are going to deal with labour shortages we are going to deal with skills shortages and we are going to introduce more policies like the Modern Apprenticeships scheme. We will introduce more of our policies in tertiary education more of our policies in regional development and more of our economic policies—and it must grind down the members on the Opposition benches. 
If one is a New Zealander today one is saying to oneself: “I want an apprenticeship. I want to get into exporting. I want to build my band so I can export my music around the world. I want to take on more tourists in my local business and I don’t care how many times the National Party reshuffles its benches and emphasises whipping as the major issue in the nation.” Out on the streets they are saying: “We don’t care about whipping”. They are saying: “We don’t care that Simon Power is using his No. 3 slot to promote whipping.” That is not the issue people care about. They want a nation led by a Government that can do the business and Labour can.