Little Andrew: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: General Debate[Sitting date: 01 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2805. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition): I have to say that what was once characterised as a dirty filthy grubby little Government engaging in dirty grubby filthy little tactics—as it tried in Northland—what we now have is a sad shadow of its former self. And the resident Elvis Presley impersonator sits there giggling because he is about to break out in a rendition of “Suspicious Minds” because that is what is governing the Cabinet and the National Party caucus now as the finger of blame rotates around the caucus room and the National Party wonders who is responsible.We observe today the stunning achievement of the National Party which turned what was a 9300 majority just 6 months ago into a 4000 deficit. That is unheard of in the history of New Zealand politics—unheard of in the history of New Zealand politics. The Northland by-election will go down in history as one of the worst defeats of a political party in this country. The Prime Minister was right to express so many months ago his concern about the impact on ACC levies of falling off your high horse in Northland. He might not have thought that it would come but last week it did. Oh how the mighty have fallen—as they say—oh how the mighty have fallen.When we cast the finger of blamearound let us remember that it was not a single-handed job; there were many involved. It started with Chris Bishop. Chris Bishop did not so much fall off his high horse as off his rocking horse. They had a man’s job to do; they gave it to a boy to do it. So he did not last that long—actually he stayed up there for most of the time; we were waiting for him to turn up to Parliament—presumably he has had his $240 a day deducted from his parliamentary allowance but we will wait and see.Then they put the maestro—the strategic master Steven Joyce—in charge and he knew exactly what to do. This was the man of course who gave us great political achievements such as giving $48 million credit to RadioWorks. Then he was given the job of fixing Novopay and 2 years on how are we doing? We are down to 11000 faults each pay period now but that is better than the 300000 faults we had 2 years ago. And then he negotiated the state-of-the-art convention centre—the free convention centre that was then going to cost us $140 million and then when the public reacted against that we now have the less than state-of-the-art convention centre. Who knows what is going to be put up but it will be something worthy of the talents of Mr Joyce.So now we have his big strategy his big offering: the 10 bridges. You know I reckon what happened is that they sat around a campfire in Northland at one of the great beaches up there Ninety Mile Beach. They got out the guitars and started singing the great cultural classic “Ten Guitars” and that was the inspiration. That was the inspiration. Ten bridges was going to be the scheme. They thought that having one in Cabinet was not enough but having 10 for Northland was going to be the answer. Ten bridges and of course all it did was serve to remind the Northlanders just how short-changed they were. That was the great strategic maestro Steven Joyce—that was his offering.Of course what they reminded the rest of New Zealand of was just how poorly served the regions have been under this Government. National still does not get it—it still does not get it.Brett Hudson: They get it in New Plymouth. They get it in New Plymouth Mr Little.ANDREW LITTLE: When it promised the 10 bridges there was no mention of a global financial crisis—no mention of a global financial crisis then. But to everything that Labour comes up with National says: “Oh it’s the global financial crisis. That didn’t happen on Planet National.” Well it did happen and 7 years on regional New Zealand has nothing to show for 7 years of a National Government—absolutely nothing.The colleague across the way there reminds me about New Plymouth. Well he might want to front up today to the rest home workers at Port View Retirement in New Plymouth who have been thrown out of their jobs and the rest home residents thrown out of their homes because the Filipino owners see no future in Taranaki—no future in Taranaki under this Government. They have thrown the elderly of Taranaki out on the streets. They have thrown the good care workers of New Plymouth out on the streets because they see no future under this Government.That is what this Government has shown in the regions. Unemployment has risen in every region in this country since this Government took office—every region—because this Government does not care. When it has the smallest opportunity to do something—like lower the ACC levies to a realistic level—what does it do? It does not care. It does not care—that is what characterises this Government. It does not care about the regions. It has been a wake-up call. National has lost Northland and it will surely lose others as time goes on.