Pillay Lynne: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Pillay Lynne: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:606;Page:3336] 
LYNNE PILLAY (NZ Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to speak in our second term of strong stable government. It has been acknowledged and accepted by the leader of the National Party—for now at least—that we will be a 3-term Government. He is right and members should wait—there will be more. Our economy is the strongest performer in the OECD with increased economic activity of 3.9 percent in the year to September. Unemployment fell to 4.9 percent. We now have 123000 more New Zealanders in work than were in work when members of the current Opposition were in power and they are real jobs. Three thousand young people have been placed in apprenticeships and another 3000 will be placed in apprenticeships by the end of this year. That is 6000 young people. Need I remind this House that a National Government scrapped the Apprenticeship Act in 1991? In contrast we now have innovative training schemes in all sectors of our industries. We have increased the minimum wage. We have provided support for business and industry. We have a solid commitment to work with business to reduce compliance costs. This is a Government that sees value in job creation—real jobs. We do not see value or merit or any sense in loony ideas such as standing outside the Post Office to get work for the dole. I ask Mr Brash why we should promote it. Because that is what happened when he was a boy.  
With the introduction of improved health and safety laws New Zealand workers will be safer at work—that is a fundamental right of every worker. Of course there is the repeal of the Employment Contracts Act—yet another National failure—and its replacement with fairer laws that work for workers and work for employers. Remember that there was the same old sad rhetoric from the Opposition benches: “Those dreadful unions will ruin our workplaces. We will lose jobs. The economy will suffer. Employers will leave in droves. Productivity will fall. The sky will fall in.” Well it did not—quite the opposite! Opposition members were wrong.  
Good jobs cannot happen without a good start in life and our kids are getting just that. Paid parental leave is in place with a commitment to build and improve on that in the future. There has been a boost to early childhood education creating over 1300 new places for our kids in centres over the coming year. There is increased funding for schools and an extra $9 million for secondary teachers. There is no interest on student loans while students are studying and there are stabilised tertiary fees. There is hope and a future for our young New Zealanders.  
We have got smarter with health. There is support for primary health that will ensure that we get affordable health-care when we need it. The Government’s primary health strategy is supported by health boards primary health providers and New Zealanders who recognise that by education and top-rate primary health-care we can build a healthier nation.  
We can hold our heads high on the world stage. We committed to ratification of the Kyoto Protocol because it was in our environmental and economic interests to do so. We believe in working multilaterally to achieve a more peaceful and stable world. Unlike the Opposition we in Government are proud to work in partnership with Maori. No country can get ahead if it ignores segments of its people treats them as one and leaves them behind.  
Through working together under the principles of the treaty we have achieved much. There is still much to achieve and we as a Government are committed to doing just that. We celebrate major progress on Maori television. That will be unique and enrich the cultural fabric of New Zealand.  
New immigrants have made our country richer both culturally and economically. Opposition parties may chase votes by dividing communities for their own political ends. Such rhetoric is offensive to immigrants New Zealanders and to this Government. It simply does not work. This Government enjoys 50 percent support because it has earned it. 
Debate interrupted.