Donnelly Brian: Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 2) — In Committee 
Donnelly Brian: Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 2) — In Committee 
[Volume:638;Page:8238] 
Hon BRIAN DONNELLY (NZ First) 
: 
 I just reflect upon the fact that this debate was going along in a very decorous fashion. It was being advanced but then Moana Mackey came into the Chamber and made one contribution and within the first 30 seconds caused all hell to break loose. One has to ask oneself what is going on here: like mother like daughter. Those people who know  
Les Misérables 
 will know that wonderful tune “Bring Him Home” and possibly this bill could be called the “Bring Them Home Bill”. 
First I will reflect upon a statement I made that seems to have touched a nerve. The members of the Opposition were continuing to claim that the interest-free loans policy was an election bribe. I said that yes it was just before they got in with their tax cuts bribe. It seems I touched a nerve. I have to let those members know that I believe that the interest-free loans policy was an election bribe and that New Zealand First does not agree with interest-free loans. We believe that what is happening under those circumstances is that the Government is giving away money to people who are going off to tertiary institutions. By the time they pay a loan back they will never have paid back what they initially received because of the very nature of inflation etc. Allan Peachey made a very valuable contribution when he talked about the fact that people have to pay taxes and make that contribution in order to enable the interest-free loan scheme to operate. 
New Zealand First says that at the very least interest on the loans should be charged at the rate of the increase in the consumer price index if not more. It certainly should not be charged at the 7 percent rate which was fairly punitive. At the same time we have to say that anybody who does not believe that the tax cuts policy was an election bribe should read  
The Hollow Men 
. We do not want people to be painting too hallowed a picture of themselves under these circumstances. 
Let us go back to the objectives of this bill. Some of the issues around the bill may have been created by the interest-free loans policy but the objectives of the bill are to ensure that those of our young people—and older people—who have student loans do not stay overseas indefinitely. It creates incentives for them to come back. What we really have to ask ourselves is whether this legislation will do what it sets out to do. That is why there is universal support for it around the Chamber. Although we can play games and argue up hill and down dale I think everyone agrees that the bill will in fact achieve its purpose of reducing the disincentives for people to return home and increasing the incentives for them to do so. Therefore New Zealand First has provided support for it all the way through because once again we have always said that the best immigrant is a New Zealander who is returning home. I have to publicly congratulate Peter Dunne on the work he has done in order to get a bill that when it passes into law will achieve the purpose of bringing more and more of our young people back home enriched by their overseas experiences.