Mackey Moana: Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 2) — In Committee 
Mackey Moana: Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 2) — In Committee 
[Volume:638;Page:8237] 
MOANA MACKEY (Labour) 
: 
 I am happy to stand up and talk on the title of the Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 2). Any bill that contains the words “student loan scheme” followed by the word “amendment” in the title will under a Labour-led Government be a good bill. This bill is absolutely no exception. 
We have heard some interesting contributions on the title. Maybe we could call this bill the “Student Loan (Does Anyone on the Other Side of the Chamber Remember It Was Actually the National Party that Brought in this Scheme) Bill” the “Student Loan (Continuing to Clean up the Muck-ups of Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith) Bill” the “Student Loan (Labour Government Continues to Improve the Onus on Student Loan Borrowers) Bill” or anything like that. I very distinctly have the impression that a lot of new National members have forgotten the history of their own party the role it played in the student loan scheme and the incredibly unfair conditions it placed on the young graduates of New Zealand. Apart from the fact that we now no longer know whether National members support this bill maybe we could call the bill the “Student Loan (Will the National Party Keep Labour’s Policy of Interest-free Student Loans?) Bill”. There is silence absolute silence. There was raucous debate then suddenly there is silence when we ask National members what their policy actually is on this bill. 
This is a very good bill and the title accurately reflects that. I agree that this bill should be brought through the House quickly so that we can get the benefit from it as soon as possible and we can make sure that our graduates who are overseas for 3 years will be able to have a repayment holiday while they are there. That will give them the incentive to let the Inland Revenue Department know that they are going overseas. Overall this is the kind of bill that will bring our graduates home to New Zealand. 
National members are all getting very raucous now. Once again I ask them whether they will keep Labour’s policy of interest-free student loans. Will they keep Labour’s policy of interest-free student loans? No. The National members say that it was a bribe but that their policy of spending $7 billion on tax cuts was not a bribe. They say that no that was fine because it was giving people their money back. Of course the National Party records and measures everything in terms of money and wealth. If one is rich one is worth something and if one is not then one is not. We in the Labour Party and in those parties that are supporting this bill believe that policies like this do the entire country good. Policies like this help our families our graduates— 
Simon Power 
: The Labour Party knows what’s best for everybody. 
MOANA MACKEY 
: Well this is great. I look forward to Simon Power turning up at the university he went to and paying back the 75 percent that the Government paid for him to go to university. 
Simon Power 
: I raise a point of order Madam Chairperson. Despite the member’s lack of humility she might be interested to know that I was the first member of Parliament to arrive in this House with a student loan—to the sum of $27000. So she cannot tell me that I am unaware of what is going on and should be repaying my loan. She can be assured that I paid back my loan in full with interest. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Ann Hartley) 
: As the member well knows that was not a point of order. 
MOANA MACKEY 
: In true Simon Power style he did not actually listen to what I said which was not that he did not have a student loan or did not pay it back but was that the Government actually provided a large proportion of his tuition fees. I was inviting Simon Power who had suggested that maybe the Government should not be involved to go ahead and repay the money the Government had paid— 
Simon Power 
: Where did the member go skiing when she was at university? 
MOANA MACKEY 
: I have never been skiing. I invite the member to pay back that money if he thinks that no tax should be taken and that tax is not worthy in this country. He can pay that money back. I am sure the Hon Dr Michael Cullen will be happy to receive his cheque. 
The member also brought up another very interesting National Party attitude towards students which is that they all take out their student loans so that they can go on ski holidays. It might surprise Simon Power to know that a large number of students actually use their student loans to pay for fees rent and the cost of living. Although I suspect that it is National-supporting students and Young Nats who take out all that money to pay for such things as ski holidays I can assure him that the very serious studious and worthy Labour-supporting students who take out student loans do so because they need to in order to attend university. I understand that it is sometimes hard for parties like the National Party to understand that some people cannot afford things that their families cannot pay for everything or that their families may not be able to pay back money on behalf of the students themselves. But Labour is interested in passing policy and bills that represent all New Zealanders—not just those who can afford to pay for university themselves or to pay their loans back quickly but all New Zealanders. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Speak fast think fast. 
MOANA MACKEY 
: Maurice Williamson—what can one say really? He is an intellectual stalwart of the National Party. He was around at the time this scheme was introduced; he was a great fan of it. This scheme has brought a lot of damage to our country. It is funny that National members rant and rave about this bill but are voting for it. This is another flip-flop. In conclusion I suggest that this bill be called the “Student Loan Scheme (Another National Party Flip-Flop) Bill”.