Strange Jamie; Mallard TrevorJAMIE STRANGE (Labour): I believe the Opposition is struggling from their divorce with the New Zealand public but on to another topic. When I think of the previous Government and the Opposition party there is a song that comes to mind and that song is a Beatles song and it's called Yesterday".Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far awayBut now it looks as though they're here to stayOh I believe in yesterdaySuddenly I'm not half the man I used to beThere's a shadow hanging over meOh I believe in yesterdayWhy did Bill have to go?I don't know he wouldn't sayBut how I long for yesterday.But there's a problem with yesterday because for a number of New Zealanders yesterday was not quite so rosy. A number of New Zealanders were struggling yesterday in the areas of housing health education the environment and jobs but I'm proud to say that now we have a Prime Minister and a Government who will fix these neglected problems of yesterday. You see yesterday we had families struggling child poverty rampant and the previous Government would do nothing about it but today we have a Government who are acting. On 1 July families will be supported. The quality of life they deserve will be given to them. Child poverty will be reduced.Yesterday we had a Government who denied there was a housing crisis who allowed houses to be sold to overseas speculators but today we have a Government who are banning the overseas sales of existing homes. Yesterday we had the mass sell-off of State housing. Today we have an increasing of the State housing stock to provide a safety net for people. Yesterday we had rental homes that were cold damp and unhealthy but today we have a healthy homes guarantee of warm dry homes. Yesterday our police force were overstretched and underfunded but today we are working towards increasing the force by over 1800 in the next three years.Yesterday we had an education curriculum narrowing due to national standards and we had teachers who were reduced to administrators; today national standards is gone allowing teachers to teach the full breadth of their curriculum. I had a principal say to me the other day that teachers in his school are once again picking up their curriculum documents—documents that had been hidden under piles of paper because they've been constantly struggling due to the work they'd been given through national standards and the lack of trust that had been put upon them. But now teachers are pulling out their curriculum documents they're getting together and they're exploring how they can teach the full breadth of our world-class curriculum.Yesterday we had dirty rivers. We had a Government who wouldn't act in this area. But today we have clear plans to clean up our rivers and waterways and restore the clean green image we have in New Zealand. Yesterday around climate change the Government were in their own words "a fast follower". There was no leadership. But today we have a Government who will lead—carbon emissions goal for fossil fuel - free by 2050. It's time that we led the world in this area.Yesterday we had a minimum wage which was difficult for people to live on. I'm proud to announce that this Government are raising it to $16.50 an hour from 1 April—164000 workers and families will be better off. Yesterday we had superannuation that was due to rise to the age of 67. Today we have a Government who have resumed contribution to the superannuation funds to keep the retirement age at 67.We have a Government who will lead. For nine years we've been consigned to a Government that simply follows but we have a Government who will lead on a global scale. I'm proud to be a part of that Government. Thank you.SPEAKER: Just before I call Parmjeet Parmar I am going to remind members that in the general debate there is no excuse for reading speeches. I've been pretty lenient. We said we'd be lenient up to the end of last year. I've been pretty lenient with members but that won't continue. Speeches will not be read at all in the general debate."