Smith Nick: General Debate 
Smith Nick: General Debate 
[Volume:649;Page:17780] 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) 
: 
 In my electorate we have just had the biggest closure and loss of jobs in the history of the region of Nelson with 320 people losing their jobs; and we have the Reserve Bank expecting that New Zealand unemployment is headed for 6 percent. If we look at the cost of living increases that our families are struggling with we have the highest increase in food costs that New Zealanders have seen for more than 20 years. We have thousands of New Zealanders whose nest egg of money is in finance companies like AMP and Guardian Trust—organisations they thought they could trust—hearing they have lost their money. We have a record number—80000—of New Zealanders who are leaving for countries overseas and departing this land. We have the highest interest rates in 15 years and what is the Government saying? Government members have absolutely no response to those issues facing ordinary New Zealanders other than their own exercise in dirty tricks. Labour has so misgoverned this country that its only hope of electoral survival is to use scare tactics and dirty tricks in this election campaign. 
At the weekend National set out a 10-point plan a blueprint as to where to take New Zealand forward. It is an ongoing programme of reducing taxes bringing some discipline into Government spending reforming the Resource Management Act addressing the issue of educational standards growing the amount that we pay in terms of superannuation holding the referendum on MMP that the public long thought there would be and launching an attack on gangs and on P. Those are the issues that New Zealanders are concerned about. Then what do we have from Labour? We have the exercise in dirty tricks and New Zealand being taken down a very negative path in terms of politics and elections. Firstly we had Labour stealing $800000 of public money to steal the 2005 general election. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think you heard what the member said and you should take action. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry I did not hear what the member said. I was distracted at the time. But if the member has said something to which offence has been taken then the member should desist and withdraw. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I simply said what the Auditor-General had said and that was that Labour stole $800000— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No the Auditor-General did not do that; and the member knows that he cannot make allegations like that in the House. The member will desist. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Will the member please be seated. The member on my left knows that when there is a point of order on the floor there is silence. The member has been here a long time and he should know better. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: You required the member to withdraw. He then repeated the assertion. I ask that you ask him to withdraw and apologise now. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I did ask the member to withdraw so I would appreciate it if he would do so. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I withdraw and apologise. What happened is that Labour took $800000 of public money wrongfully and unlawfully and then passed a law to make that action lawful. 
Then we have the sneaky latest dirty tricks of the Labour Party at the National Party conference. I want to tell members what happened to me. At the cocktail function on Friday night a guy who purported to be a Young Nat approached me. He actually looked surprisingly like a Young Labour youth and he kept asking and asking me what National’s view was on nuclear power. He pretended he was a big fan of nuclear power. I reflect on the events that have occurred since and think it was just the Labour Party plant who was attempting to entrap. What is really interesting is whether that is where New Zealand politics have got to. Is that where Labour wants to take us? Why is it that no members in the Labour Party can bring themselves to say that it is wrong to sneak around party conferences under false pretences illegally taping private conversations? I say that is wrong; it shows a decline of political standards in New Zealand. 
We should be able to have good open debate in our conferences without sneaky members of the Labour Party running around with tape-recorders trying to catch people out and to entrap them. When we see that behaviour alongside the Electoral Finance Act when we see that behaviour alongside the rorts that Labour is taking on the public purse for the election campaign this latest dirty trick just shows us the desperation on the Government benches. I challenge members opposite simply to start focusing on the job losses that ordinary New Zealanders have on the huge increase in food prices and on the record interest rates.