Pillay Lynne: General Debate 
Pillay Lynne: General Debate 
[Volume:632;Page:4004] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 The previous speaker used the term “Yeah right!” but let us consider the history of the behaviour of the National Party before the last election. Given that an agnostic had prayer meetings with the Exclusive Brethren yet National claimed that no political activity was going on one can say “Yeah right!”. Let us remind that member who is grizzling about buildings that under this Government’s 5-year building programme in schools schools are actually building new buildings and renovating others and they are in a really pristine condition compared with how they were when the Labour Government came into power. 
Opposition members bang on and on about tax cuts and we all know what tax cuts mean. Tax cuts mean health cuts. Tax cuts mean education cuts. Tax cuts mean police cuts Working for Families cuts and superannuation cuts. Tax cuts mean rates rebate cuts because we know National did not support the rates rebate for superannuitants and lower-paid workers. Tax cuts also mean apprenticeship cuts industry training cuts transport cuts employments rights cuts—we are seeing that happen with the Wayne Mapp bill—and wage cuts. When Opposition members talk about tax cuts they should be more honest about just what they would do if they were in Government. 
But we are not in Government to wallow in despair as National does; we are here to celebrate. In July in less than a couple of weeks’ time the Labour Party will be having a big party to celebrate its 90th birthday. We will be celebrating 90 years of being in Parliament representing good hard-working Kiwis and delivering for them—in the words of Michael Joseph Savage—from the “cradle to the grave”. It is really heartening to know that that philosophy or goal has not changed with the Labour Party of today. We now see paid parental leave being extended to self-employed people. That is a wonderful thing. I remember when I was part of the union movement working really hard with women to lobby for paid parental leave which we considered was very important. The introduction of that legislation was again opposed of course by the National Party and by its friends in ACT. But now it is a given that every mother or father is entitled to paid parental leave. Initially the period was 12 weeks’ leave. That was extended to 14 weeks and eligibility has now been extended to self-employed people. We think that is a wonderful thing. 
Primary health organisation funding has been extended to include 45 to 64-year-olds. Next year the whole of New Zealand will be included in healthier more affordable primary health care. We know that makes for healthier New Zealanders and that is really good for our economy. 
I heard the speech made by my colleague Nanaia Mahuta and I say she is a great Minister of Youth Affairs. She is doing a fantastic job. She talked about the Books in Homes programme which is something else the Government is very proud of. We are extending that programme because we know that if children’s learning is extended at an early age and they can take books home then that very much starts them off with learning at school and later on in life. 
Although I was talking about starting off learning at school we know that one of the best investments we have ever made is that in early childhood education. My children are a little too old for early childhood education— 
Hon Mark Burton 
: Surely not! 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: Yes they are. I remember when my children were young the challenges of being a working mum and finding quality affordable early childhood education. When we implement the 20 hours per week of funded early childhood education in all early childhood centres with registered teachers that will be a wonderful thing for parents and children in this country. I know that everyone in the Labour-led Government including all our friends who supported the programme believe it will be very much a great benchmark for our people. 
I am a former nurse and I think our Primary Health Care Strategy is great.