English Bill: General Debates 
English Bill: General Debates 
[Volume:606;Page:3786] 
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of miscellaneous business 
. The question we are asking today is: what has happened to the Government’s economic goal of getting New Zealand into the top half of the OECD? We suspect that it has gone the same way as John Tamihere—pushed aside because it is too difficult to deal with. Let us see what the Government said about what it wanted to do with the economy. In the 2001 Budget speech the Minister of Finance said: “We need to set ourselves— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Keep your shirt on Billy Boy. 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: So flattering!  
Mr SPEAKER 
: I ask the member to please be seated. I am going to allow the member to start his speech again. That member knows that is a personal reflection. He will withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I am starting the member’s speech again. [ 
Interruption 
] No I will now ask the member to leave the Chamber. I am tired of that. 
Hon Trevor Mallard withdrew from the Chamber. 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: The question today is: what has happened to the Government’s economic-growth goal? I suspect that it has gone the same way as John Tamihere—pushed aside because it is too difficult to deal with. Let us see what the Minister of Finance had to say in the 2001 Budget speech. He said: “We need to set ourselves a goal of being back in the top half of the developed world in terms of per capita GDP.”—the developed world being the OECD. So that was the goal. It was taken as having serious intent. When he stated that goal it was taken that the Government was going to make priorities make choices that were in pursuit of a goal that it took seriously. We found out today that the Prime Minister does not take that goal seriously at all. She raised the issue in the House of being correctly quoted and I will quote her. She said when talking about the Catching the Knowledge Wave conference— 
Hon Rick Barker 
: Boring. 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: The member might find this boring but this is just quoting the Prime Minister. She said that the recommendation they are looking at putting up is to reach the first half of the OECD per capita GDP rankings by 2010: “I have to say that is totally unrealistic.” She was asked today to say when she thought it was realistic and she would not say. So what we have learnt is that the Prime Minister does not take that economic goal seriously.  
 I say that she never has. I say that it was always an attempt to brush over the “third wayism” and an attempt to look serious to the business community. However as soon as it looks like it might get difficult she has said that it is totally unrealistic by 2010. I ask when they believe it will be realistic. Will it be 2015? On current calculations it will be somewhere in the 2020s even if we could grow at 1 percent faster than the OECD average for that period.  
I ask when. Why should we take the Minister of Finance seriously when he talks about this if he has no idea when he will reach that goal? Today I say that the Prime Minister has effectively abandoned that goal and I am not surprised. It has occurred against the background of an increasingly strident left-wing tone from the Prime Minister in her speeches and an increasing impatience with any kind of criticism. That came through from the Catching the Knowledge Wave conference. The Prime Minister gave such a long and boring speech that she looked bored with it herself. It left particularly our young leaders—the 101 emerging leaders from all around the country—totally disillusioned. They had a different impression of the Prime Minister until they heard her talk about what was meant to matter most to her and her Government and that was a growth goal in which she has no belief no conviction and no confidence. 
Simon Power 
: No interest. 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: And I suspect that the member is right: no interest. A great deal more effort is going into the fine calculation of the position on Iraq. As we found out today and it was confirmed by the Speaker the Government has not said that it will oppose the second resolution. It has just worked very hard to give everyone that impression without actually saying it. That is where the Government’s focus and interest is. It has vacated the field of economic growth. It will continue to ride on the back of high commodity prices loose monetary policy and strong net inward migration. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Loose monetary policy? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: That is an argument. That will run the economy for the next 12 months or so as the farmers get hit by the Auckland property boom that the Government has encouraged. The Government has lost sight of its interest in the economy. Today the Prime Minister has confirmed that as far as she is concerned the goal of reaching the top half of the OECD within 10 years is totally unrealistic.