Dyson Ruth: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDyson Ruth: General Debate[Sitting date: 03 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4268. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills): For me the member who just resumed his seat the Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga personified the arrogance that has taken over the National Party going into this third term of Government. He modestly said: “People ask me all the time: ‘Why do you do so well? Why are you so popular? Why are you so well-liked?’ ”. How modest can he be? The Government has stopped connecting with what ordinary New Zealanders really feel. One of the examples that I am increasingly hearing frustration about from members of this House is the Ministers’ arrogance and dismissal of select committee procedures where members of select committees—including National Party members who are the chairs of the committees—hear about determinations of bills that are the property of the committees through a ministerial statement. How arrogant and disrespectful of the process and of members of the select committee—including members of their own party—is that? It really is just one of many indications of the increasing arrogance and dislocation of this Government that its members must be a little bit despondent. They all went into the last election—and actually the election before—with their No. 1 promise being to deliver a Government Budget surplus in the 2015 Budget. And what did we see? Yet again Bill English—failed leader now failed Minister of Finance—after seven Budgets each failing to deliver a surplus. It was not just an expectation or a hope; it was the No. 1 election promise in the 2011 campaign and the 2014 campaign—another broken promise.Judith Collins seems to be the only one who is reasonably excited about the future of the National Party. She recently led the caucus revolt. I have heard a number of people saying about the National caucus being revolting—but she led the revolt in relation to the health and safety reforms that Michael Woodhouse had promised. She ruined his speech to a very large workplace safety conference. Michael Woodhouse had said “I will be there and I will be giving a speech with great promises and detail.” and he had to turn up and say “It has all been put on hold.” because of the revolt that Judith Collins had led. Then there was her less-than-subtle attack on Gerry Brownlee where she launched an attack about the doors that he has required to have put in. I am not sure whether he thinks the doors will keep Judith Collins out of their caucus room or just out of our corridor but it certainly was Gerry Brownlee’s idea.That pales into insignificance though—pales into insignificance—beside what Murray McCully has done. An $11 million bribe—there can be no other word to describe it—paid to a private Saudi farm. I disagree with the politics of a number of members of the National Party thank goodness but I do not challenge the integrity of every single member and I know that some of them will be squirming because they like many other New Zealanders deeply value the integrity of our country of our representatives and of people who travel overseas to represent us. And our international reputation has been tarnished by Murray McCully’s bribe. He is off on overseas leave now; he is having a bit of a rest.Meanwhile we have got Steven Joyce causing bother for the National Party. He said he did not know much about the sign that cost—what?Hon David Cunliffe: $43000 for a sign.Hon RUTH DYSON: $43000 for a sign saying “MBIE”—“MoBIE”. It seems like quite a lot of money to pay for a sign.Hon David Cunliffe: It’s a whale of a time.Hon RUTH DYSON: It certainly is. I will leave that to your contribution Mr Cunliffe because that was a very good interjection. But Steven Joyce today during question time was exposed as not only knowing details about the sign but having personally chosen the colour. This Minister for Economic Development is right into the details of his portfolio. It is just another example of the disconnect between Ministers their departments and ordinary New Zealanders. We have had poor old Maurice Williamson. How he sits in the House every day watching hapless Ministers struggle through questions when he is still consigned to the backbench. And now he has been publicly rejected by the ACT Party—publicly rejected. There were the Northland by-election bribes with the bridges and now we have got the Prime Minister distracting once again with boat people coming to New Zealand. It is a really Tony Abbott trick.Can I conclude on an Australian point a serious point that I want to make. The first-ever—and only actually—woman Premier of Victoria passed away this week. I want to conclude with a tribute to the memory of Joan Kirner and all she did for women internationally and for education. Thank you.