King Annette: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
King Annette: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:623;Page:18252] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 This Government is committed to improving the health of New Zealanders. We are prepared to put our money where our mouth is. At present $10 billion per year is going into health. One dollar in five taken in tax is now paid into the health budget. We are prepared to commit our energy and resources into rebuilding a health system that is available to all New Zealanders when they need it regardless of their ability to pay. 
Yesterday the Prime Minister outlined our priorities and objectives in health but yesterday we also saw the stark contrast between this Government and the National Opposition. It could not have been clearer. The differentiation that Dr Brash likes to talk about stands out in health like a beacon. Yesterday yet another National health spokesperson bit the dust. Yet another one left the portfolio. Five health spokespeople in 5 years—that is the record of the National Opposition. I think it is probably a world record in terms of the turnover of health spokespeople in any country. 
When I became the Minister of Health Wyatt Creech was the National spokesperson. Wyatt Creech is a very good man. He understood the portfolio—he had been the Minister. He was then followed by Roger Sowry who hated the portfolio thought it was a poisoned chalice and could not get rid of it fast enough. Then we had Dr Lynda Scott a person who had worked in the health sector and who worked very hard on her portfolio. But she was pushed out of it by Dr Don Brash and it was given to Judith Collins who held it for about 7 or 8 months. 
Now we have Paul Hutchison. There have been five health spokespeople in 5 years. Paul Hutchison got the job only because Dr Brash had sacked the most capable front-bench person he had so he had to put Judith Collins into the social welfare portfolio and promote Dr Hutchison to the health portfolio. He was not National’s first second or third choice. At the end of the day he was its fourth choice. He got the job by a process of elimination. That tells us that the National Party is continuing to disregard the health portfolio as it always has. This was the party that when in Government had five health Ministers in 9 years. That was a record as well. The speed of turnover of health spokespeople has accelerated since National became the Opposition. Five spokespeople in 5 years—what a record! 
 I have to tell you Mr Speaker that National’s health portfolio started off on the front bench. It was a key portfolio on the front bench of the National Opposition but over the last 5 years it has been slowly relegated back a row until finally it has ended up on the back bench. In fact Paul Hutchison is seated so close to the door that he is in danger of falling out of Parliament altogether. That is what the National Party thinks about the importance of the health portfolio. 
It is no wonder that the health sector is totally bemused by the National Party’s antics. People in the sector tell me they know that the National Party is not serious about health. Yesterday Dr Brash said that the seating on the front bench reflected the party’s strategic priority. Well there is no strategic priority for health from the National Opposition. Health is seated in the third row. It is almost out the door. I predict that next it will fall out the door. 
In fact there is no strategic place for women on National’s front row. It is a women-free zone. There is no place for them at all. Dr Brash said he thought it was PC to worry about gender issues when it came to seating women on National’s front bench. He should tell that to 51 percent of the population of New Zealand. He should tell them he thinks it is PC that women should sit on the front bench of the National Opposition. 
Darren Hughes 
: Oops! 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: “Oops!” is absolutely right. There are many capable women even in the National Party. I would have thought there would be a place for one of them on the front bench but it is a women-free zone. 
All I can say to Simon Power is that he should look out because the whisper around the corridors is that he will have to give up his seat so that in a few weeks’ time a woman can come on to National’s front row. The reason is that National cannot be seen to go into an election treating women and health with such disregard. So Simon Power who occupies a seat that he ought not to have because he is a whip is about to be moved back to his rightful seat. That is yet another sacking in the National Party—a party that has had more sacked members than its members have had hot dinners. 
National members do not have a health policy. They do not have a clue about what to do in health. They have a series of slogans that make up their policy. “Too much money in health” they say “and not enough productivity.” Well I say to National members that they should go out and campaign on that among the doctors and nurses of New Zealand and tell them that they can do more than they are already doing that they can crank up their productivity that they are getting too much money and that the National Party thinks they can perform more operations than they do now. They should tell that to doctors and nurses and then let them say what they think of National’s approach to health. 
A considerable amount of funding has gone into wages in the health sector. That is true. In fact doctors have had a 50 percent— 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: How much on the bureaucracy? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I will tell Dr Smith this; Dr Smith is one of the doctors who make one sick not well. I tell him that over the last 3 years according to Dr Wayne Crombie doctors have had a 50 percent pay increase. Why have they had to have a pay increase? The reason is that we were not holding enough doctors in New Zealand to enable us to provide health services. One of the big problems of the 1990s was the screwing-down of wages particularly for our nurses. I am pleased to say that in the very near future our nurses will receive a big pay increase. We need to pay our health workforce more. That does mean that more money will go into health; it does not mean that any more can be squeezed out of the working day of health workers. They certainly deserve to receive the pay that keeps them here working for New Zealanders to provide the health system we need. 
So National members say: “Too much money in health; not enough productivity.” and I ask: “What are they going to cut?” Then they move to their next slogan that makes up their policy in health: “Too much bureaucracy.” Well let me tell the National Party that when we became the Government there were 23 health boards in New Zealand. There are now 21. There are now more doctors and nurses in the health system than there were and the ratio between bureaucrats and clinical staff is less than it was. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: More bureaucrats. They’ve gone up. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I will table the figures for the member. I will give him the figures. When his mate Bill English was the Minister of Health the percentage of bureaucrats was higher than it is today. 
Now we will look at the figures those members like to quote about operations. They say there are not enough operations and that the number of operations is falling. Let us quote the official figures not the bodgie rhetoric from the National Opposition. We find that in the 1998-99 financial year 247000 surgical operations were carried out. In 2003-04 there were 272881 operations. Members should try to turn that into a reduction in the number of procedures carried out. That is the sort of rhetoric we get from the National Party—rhetoric that is supposed to make up for policy. 
This Government has clearly set out its priorities in health and for us health is a priority. We have had a policy in place for 5 years implementing the primary health strategy and increasing the number of orthopaedic operations. We are about to announce our policy in the next few months on cataracts for New Zealanders. There will be more operations for cataracts particularly for our older people. More money will be going into mental health. More money will be going into the health system to improve it gradually and slowly so we can ensure the provision of health services for New Zealand. 
We stand on our record in health. We are not a party that runs around with a whole series of slogans and misery to try to squeeze a few votes. This is a party committed to health when compared with that party—the party that puts its health spokesperson out the door.