Pillay Lynne: General Debate 
Pillay Lynne: General Debate 
[Volume:638;Page:8422] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 I have much to say but first I want to say that I have been appalled at the two speeches I have heard just now from Dr Jonathan Coleman a former general practitioner and from Jacqui Dean. 
R Doug Woolerton 
: The cigar smoker! 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: That is right. That did come to mind. I was not going to raise it but I thank the member very much. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Are you talking about Monica? 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: No no but I will say that I find it really really offensive for a former general practitioner to be denigrating this Government for supporting legislation that protects our children. I am proud that this party and this Government put children first. I am also proud of the general practitioners working out there who have been writing to us. We have received emails probably running at 100:1 in favour of this legislation. I acknowledge the hundreds of general practitioners nurses health workers teachers and people from agencies that care for children who have contacted us and said: “We support you in what you are doing. We support this bill.” 
I cannot go past saying that members opposite are gross exaggerators. I saw the sad little crowd outside. There were not hundreds of people in front of Parliament. [ 
Interruption 
] There were not. Once again that is an indication and I am waiting for the next flip-flop—given all the emails that have come through—from National members and for them suddenly to say: “Oops this isn’t the populist way to go. Maybe we had better change our mind again.” That is what National members did in relation to market rents the seabed and foreshore the Employment Relations Act climate change civil unions nuclear policy and tax cuts. 
We have not heard National’s visionary leader speak this afternoon. It would be nice if he could come and tell us a little bit about what he sees the National Party rolling out or about some of its policies. He is very silent on that but we do know about his flip-flops. To be critical and denigrating of the events happening on 1 April this year is just plain dumb. 
I heard reference made to the 20 hours per week free early childhood education. My children are grown up now but when they were young kindergarten which was really really good was all that was available. There was nothing for when I was working a full day. It was very very hard for mothers—generally mothers—to manage quality early childhood education around those times. I congratulate Minister Maharey because I know this was one of his absolute passions. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Minister Maharey? 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: And Minister Mallard. It is of course a given that he has been very passionate about this issue too. It will provide much for families in New Zealand along with paid parental leave and let us not forget 4 weeks’ holiday now for every worker in New Zealand. That was vehemently opposed by the National Party. I do not hear any National members saying: “No no. We supported that.” I commend workers in this country and the union movement who got behind the campaign for 4 weeks’ holiday and made sure it was on the agenda and that workers are going to be enjoying it in the future. They campaigned just as hard to keep 3 weeks’ holiday when the National Government tried to cut workers’ entitlement from 3 weeks to 2 weeks. I think workers in this country are only too aware of what is on the National Party’s agenda for them. 
Also I cannot go past talking about KiwiSaver which is coming up. It will be the most exciting and innovative way to encourage people to save with a lump-sum payment of $1000 going into their account when they join KiwiSaver. It will also help people into their first homes. That is what this Government is about.