Barker Rick: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
Barker Rick: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:626;Page:21298] 
Hon RICK BARKER (Minister for Courts) 
: 
 That was the leader-in-waiting for the National Party but—regrettably for the National Party—he is also the leader who took that party to the biggest defeat in its history. The biggest defeat that National has ever suffered in an election was under that man Bill English. It just shows the value of the currency of his opinion. It is also worthy of note that he had some time in the finance portfolio. I reiterate the point made to the House earlier by Clayton Cosgrove that the Finance and Expenditure Committee had agreed that it would have Treasury examine the tax and finance policies of each party independently in order to offer the public a fair opinion of those policies. The only party that will not put its policy through that process is the National Party because it is afraid of what will be found—and it has good reason to be afraid. The other policies it has put forward like for example social welfare have been justifiably trashed. Its members do not talk about social welfare policies any more. 
Hon David Carter 
: Ha ha! 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: Opposition members may laugh but let us go back for the joke. The joke is that National’s leader Don Brash said that the party would have the unemployed line up outside a post office. That was the National Party’s policy on social welfare. We all know—except the out-of-touch National Party—that post offices have long since gone. The National Party then went on to say that women who refused to name the father of their children would have to face a financial penalty. The bad news for the National Party is that that is now the case. The National Party then said that there would be a 90-day trial period for beneficiaries who were trying to find work. Again the National Party was wrong because that is already policy. It also said that it would have people work for the dole—that if people could not find jobs National would get them jobs in the community. Analysis of its own policy back in the terrible 1990s shows that that did not work. The people who were put on make-work schemes were less likely than others to find jobs. 
The Labour-Progressive Government has been outstandingly successful in employment. When we came into office we inherited approximately 160000 people who were on the dole. The National Government in 9 years had managed to increase the number of unemployed from approximately 100000 to 160000. This Government has taken that number down by 100000—100000 people are off the dole so while there were approximately 160000 people unemployed there are now about 60000. There are 22 percent fewer people on benefits than there were before. This Government has been spectacularly successful in reducing youth unemployment and long-term unemployment and I say to Bill English that the public will be very grateful for that. 
When I was an MP in the 1990s parents came to my electorate office and were desperate with concerns about their children’s prospects for a job. That is no longer a particular concern for parents because this Government has increased the number of people in industry training by approximately 80000. It has almost doubled the figure. The National Government got rid of apprenticeships; Labour reinstated apprenticeships and it is giving kids jobs hopes and skills. 
We have increased industry training funds so the whole emphasis of this Government has been on creating jobs giving New Zealanders skills to get those jobs and filling job vacancies with New Zealanders in preference to importing people from overseas. It has been spectacularly successful. New Zealand now has the second-lowest unemployment rate in the OECD. When in our history can we recall New Zealand having fewer unemployed than Australia Britain the United States Germany Japan—almost anywhere? When can we recall the time in its history when New Zealand had a greater participation rate by the workforce in work? That is a remarkable achievement and the public will be very grateful to this Government for leading such a remarkable turn-round. This country now has hope and opportunity unlike the situation that will be put forward by the National Party. 
National is saying that it will give people tax cuts and we are talking there about approximately $5 billion worth of tax cuts. Now the public are not as stupid as that. They will know that $5 billion worth of tax cuts will have to be paid for from somewhere. What will National cut? It has lined up what it calls a “bloated civil service”. Well will it cut the extra 2700 teachers this Government has put on stream? Will it cut the extra 3300 nurses who are employed under this Government? Will it cut the extra 950 medical staff or the extra 1250 clinical support staff? This Government has invested heavily in public services to make sure they are functioning and workable for the New Zealand public. 
We used to have public services that were malfunctioning; they did not have staff or resources. This Government has invested heavily in roads jobs education and health services. New Zealand after 6 years of a Labour Government is a vastly better place than it was when we inherited it. It is not perfect; we know there is more work to be done. That is why this Labour-led Government will campaign hard in the next election on its record: lower numbers unemployed more people in jobs wealthier people and a Working for Families package that means we have reduced child poverty. On every front and against every measure New Zealand is a better place today than it was before this Government came to office. We have a proud record and we are prepared to stand and have our years in Government compared with the nasty 1990s of the previous National Government.