Parker David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Parker David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 25 October 2012. Volume:685;Page:6203. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
1. 
Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: Does he stand by his answer on Tuesday regarding jobs “I think that the number of 170000 may come from the initial Budget forecast for 2009 perhaps. I cannot remember the year exactly.”? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance) 
on behalf of the Minister of Finance: Yes the Minister stands by that number of forecast jobs. I can confirm for the member that in fact in both Budgets 2010 and 2011 Treasury forecast around 170000 additional jobs over the respective following 4 years. 
Hon David Parker 
: Does he now remember that National’s 2011 election promise to New Zealanders advertised repeatedly on television was that under National there would be 170000 more jobs by 2015? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I thank the member for assisting us with our advertising and recognising it so well. That is indeed correct and to help the member— 
Hon Member 
: How’s it going? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I will tell you how it is going. So far we have gained around 40000 jobs since that date. The Budget predicted 59000 so we are a bit behind at this point but of course there are another 2½ years to run. [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Just before I call the member I remind members that visual aids can be used by the member speaking not by others. 
Hon David Parker 
: Given that only 13000 more people have been employed over the last year does he understand why so many disappointed New Zealanders say his Government’s policies are not working? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I am not sure exactly how Mr Parker has obtained that number but I can confirm for him that according to the household labour force survey there has been a gain of 40000 jobs between December 2010 and June 2012 and 57000 jobs between June 2010 and June 2012. 
Hon David Parker 
: Why does he pretend to forget his own promise of 170000 more jobs and then pretend his Government is on track when the majority of New Zealanders in last night’s TV3 poll say that his Government has failed on jobs? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I think the member will find that is incorrect. The survey question was in regard to full employment and nobody would predict or claim that any country in the OECD has full employment post the global financial crisis. But I think the public of New Zealand understand that because I understand that the same poll rated the National Party at 48.8 or 48.9 percent and the Labour Party at around 33 percent. So I suspect that says the same group of people understand the challenges that the Government faces. 
Hon David Parker 
: Who does he think is right on jobs: him or the majority of New Zealanders who say his Government has failed on jobs? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I think that the assertion the member makes is simply incorrect. What I would point out is that I think every New Zealander knows that we are in very challenging economic times. Every New Zealander knows that New Zealand is actually performing better than most countries in the OECD. Every New Zealander knows that the unemployment benefit uptake has dropped significantly over the last 2 years— 
Kris Faafoi 
: Is it working? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: —and every New Zealander knows that most countries in the OECD have a far worse unemployment rate than New Zealand’s. We are all working hard to get it better. I can tell the member what would not work—reverting to Fortress New Zealand and printing money flat out. 
Darien Fenton 
: Given that he and his Government deny any responsibility for the job losses at Spring Creek Mine will he at least admit that the 220 job losses confirmed today are part of a wider pattern? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Obviously it is a very difficult day for those people who have lost their jobs in Spring Creek and nobody is pretending that it is not. But I would say that if the Opposition did care about the possibility of jobs for those miners it would join the Government in calling for the objectors to the mine just up the road to drop their objections— 
Eugenie Sage 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: —to the development of the Bathurst mine— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: It is very important Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! A point of order has been called. 
Eugenie Sage 
: I understood that it was the practice in this House not to refer to judicial proceedings because they are sub judice. There is a proceeding in the High Court on the Bathurst mine. The Minister has previously alluded to that. I did not understand that it was the practice of the House to be able to do that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I may have to concede to the member’s superior knowledge to mine. But I will check. I will take a little advice on that because obviously such matters are quite important matters. Because I consider this matter to be an important matter—the relationship between this House and the courts—I have taken advice on the matter. The advice is that the Minister was really making a political statement and was not referring in any way in any detail to any matter before the court and therefore it should not be ruled out on that basis. However I think the Minister—is the member seeking to raise a further point of order? 
Eugenie Sage 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister was going on to say that members of this House should join with the Government in encouraging objectors to desist. So that is actually giving a strong message to parties to those proceedings. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think it is simply a political statement and has got nothing to do with the detail of any case in front of the court whatsoever. The Minister has not argued the merits or otherwise. I think he is just arguing politically that he believes—I do not want to repeat what he said. I do not think I should be ruling that out.