Collins Judith: General Debate 
Collins Judith: General Debate 
[Volume:654;Page:2932] 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Police) 
: 
 Now we can see why the Labour Party had to have a reshuffle this week. Unfortunately it did not reshuffle enough. The big winner out of this week’s reshuffle was George Hawkins. Members might ask why I say that. It is because George has been brought back to life and put in charge of local government. I have to say that that was an inspired if somewhat unusual choice. It was certainly out of left field. It was very strangely left field. Why was George Hawkins promoted? It is because he is about the only person in the Labour Party who is not actually vying for Phil Goff’s job. 
The other reason the Labour Party had to have a reshuffle this week was to take the heat out of Mr Goff’s appalling treatment of Phil Twyford. Mr Twyford was Helen Clark’s protege for Mt Albert and he was hand-picked by Miss Clark to succeed her in Mt Albert. He was good enough to be an MP under Miss Clark but not good enough to have an electorate under Mr Goff. We will see just how insulting Mr Goff has been to Mr Twyford and what he has done. Do members remember the Hon Judith Tizard? Does anyone remember her? Well Ms Tizard was the Minister with responsibility for Auckland Issues. But Ms Tizard was the National Party’s secret weapon: she guaranteed the Auckland vote to the National Party and we want her back. We want Judith Tizard back but if Mr Twyford had gone into Mt Albert and if he had—strangely enough and against the polls—won the electorate Ms Tizard would have come into the House. And that was the one thing that Mr Goff could not let happen. Just to add insult to injury what else did Mr Goff do? Well he gave Mr Twyford Ms Tizard’s old portfolio of Auckland Issues. How insulting! He might as well have just given him the handbag too that Darren Hughes likes to hold. So that is the whole insult for Mr Twyford. 
What do we have after this reshuffle apart from George Hawkins moving up? We have a dam of dead wood that is being pushed along the river of Labour’s demise. We have the young Phil Goff who has been there since 1981. Well he is a Young Turk if ever I saw one! Then we have the Hon Annette King and she has been there almost forever—since 1984. She will be pensioned off soon because Darren Hughes will take her seat. Then we have David Cunliffe. Well he has been there since 1999 but did anyone notice? Ruth Dyson has been there since 1993; she is obviously new in the Labour Party! Parekura Horomia has been there since 1999. People would never believe it would they? 
Clayton Cosgrove has been there since 1999. My goodness! We have seen today why Mike Moore is so disappointed in him. Has everyone noticed how Mike Moore is so disappointed now in Clayton Cosgrove? He was “Little Mike”; “Little Mike” was going to come along and stand up for the ordinary person. Clayton Cosgrove was Mike Moore’s mini-me but unfortunately he does not know the ordinary person from Adam. 
Who else do we have? We have Trevor Mallard who has been brought back into that front row of lame ducks. Trevor Mallard is going to come back close to the action—well close to Goff anyway just to keep an eye on him. Trevor Mallard has got back his precious Rugby World Cup portfolio that was taken away for his bad behaviour. He is the former Minister whom Helen Clark stripped of the education portfolio the man who was closing schools up and down the country and costing Labour votes. He was the Minister who had to be taken out. 
What has Labour done with Chris Carter? It has put Chris Carter in as foreign affairs spokesperson. How appropriate! The one thing Labour can do with Chris Carter is to send him overseas—that is the best thing to do—and to keep him there. That is certainly all Chris Carter is any good at. Anne Tolley has made toast out of that man. She has actually rubbed him into the ground and now he is the laughing stock of Parliament. 
Then we have Damien O’Connor who has come back. I would actually just like to welcome back Damien O’Connor. He is one of the ordinary people in Labour whom it never has these days so I welcome back Damien O’Connor. But I do not think Damien O’Connor is really the fresh blood that Labour is looking for. 
So what is wrong with all the fresh blood that was brought in? What has happened to Jacinda Ardern? What is wrong with her? What about Chris Hipkins Moana Mackey and Grant Robertson? Why were they not promoted? Why are they still languishing down there on the backbenches because of this dam that has been created by all the dead wood in Labour. What about them? Why have they not been promoted?