Parmar Parmjeet: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParmar Parmjeet: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 01 March 2016. Volume:711;Page:9254. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr PARMJEET PARMAR (National): It is with great pleasure that I take this call to support the Prime Minister’s statement. I would like to start by congratulating our Prime Minister on his strong commitment to New Zealand and on keeping on delivering what he promised to do. This year just like the last year is going to be a great year under the leadership of the Rt Hon John Key. I am saying it is going to be a great year because wages are rising faster than inflation. In the last year the average wage grew by 3.1 percent and inflation stayed at 0.1 percent. My hands cannot demonstrate the scale but the difference is obvious—3.1 percent versus 0.1 percent. Business confidence is high and there is strong activity in all sectors including the manufacturing sector. We know we have come through significant challenges and we have stayed on top of our spending. That is evident from us receiving a surplus for the 2014-15 year.This is a Government that is a sensible manager of the Government’s finances. But the Opposition has started coming out with some irresponsible spending pledges. Its education policy shows that it lacks fiscal understanding. It lacks the understanding of what New Zealanders want. I am saying that is an irresponsible spending pledge because Kiwis do not need a reminder about the significant challenges that we have come through. That is why on this side of the House we are focusing on the economy. We are focusing on growing our businesses so that they can invest more create more jobs and create higher-paying jobs so that we can continually keep investing sensibly in different sectors.To support our economy we need free-trade agreements. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement is in the best interests of New Zealand. As the Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Key keeps saying in very very simple words we are a country of only 4.5 million people. Our businesses cannot grow by just selling goods and services to each other. We need access to bigger markets. What has shocked me is the Opposition members’ stand on the TPP agreement. It has shocked me that they are unable to comprehend the importance of the TPP agreement even when explained in such simple words. It is a pity that they do not see the importance of the TPP to our businesses and households. [Interruption]Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! It is always ironic to note that female members from the Opposition always talk the loudest while a female member of the Government is on her feet. I suggest to members to take a breath and allow the member to complete her speech.Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: Thank you. This side will continue to focus on—Clare Curran: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I take offence at that remark.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member may well take offence. I do not believe that the observation of the Speaker in respect of that is a matter that the member can take offence to. I look to the Clerk—I am sorry if the member has taken offence; I will not withdraw the comment.Iain Lees-Galloway: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think this raises an interesting issue and I appreciate the Clerk’s advice that there is no Standing Order relating to when a member takes offence to something that the Speaker has said but I think that on this side of the House we would appreciate it if you would perhaps give some thought to this and come back with a ruling. Clearly a member has taken offence at a comment you made relating to interjections that were being made. There seems to be a gap in the Standing Orders and I think it would be helpful to the order of the House if we had some ruling on what members should do if the Speaker has caused offence.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member will be pleased to know that I have reflected in the time that he has been making his point of order and in the spirit of cross-House collaboration I withdraw and apologise.Dr PARMJEET PARMAR: On this side we will continue to focus on getting free-trade agreements. We have achieved a free-trade agreement with Korea and we have started negotiations with the EU. Now in the second year of our third term as per the Prime Minister’s statement we will continue to invest in our families and households. And we are seeing results. Unemployment figures have dropped to 5.3 percent. There were 21000 jobs created in the December quarter and that figure carries a very important significance because after working for the whole year people evaluate analyse and see whether they want to change jobs. So 21000 jobs being created in the December quarter is very good news. There were 175000 jobs created in the last 3 years.To support that kind of growth we need investment in our infrastructure especially in Auckland because Auckland is our largest commercial centre. That is why the Prime Minister has already announced bringing forward the start date of the City Rail Link. And of course we have our roads of national significance. Victoria Park Tunnel is a great tunnel and riding through that tunnel is a great experience. Commuters are saving a lot of time going through that tunnel. We have finished digging the Waterview tunnel and when the boring machine Alice finished boring that tunnel I was there just next to the Mt Roskill electorate’s boundary with our two Ministers the Hon Simon Bridges and the Hon Paul Goldsmith. I can tell you that the excitement there was huge.We will continue to invest in our transport system and our motorway system to make it reliable safe and efficient. We have accomplished a lot yet we will continue to invest more in our infrastructure in different sectors. We will continue to listen to the people of New Zealand and we will continue to create opportunities for our current and future generations. Thank you.