Pillay Lynne: General Debates 
Pillay Lynne: General Debates 
[Volume:616;Page:11734] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 I will start by asking some questions. Who gave us the Employment Contracts Act? Who wanted to sell New Zealanders’ holidays? Who would scrap 4 weeks’ annual leave? Who froze the minimum wage for 3 years? Who privatised accident compensation? Who opposed penal rates for public holidays? [ 
Interruption 
] Wait there is more. Who attacked better health and safety laws? Who will not guarantee pensions at 65 for all New Zealanders? Who wants to give tax cuts to the rich? Who scrapped the Apprenticeship Act? Who opposed paid parental leave? The answer is National and its mates from ACT. 
Now I ask: who scrapped the Employment Contracts Act? Who introduced paid parental leave? Who is bringing in 4 weeks’ annual leave? Who has increased the minimum wage every year? Who rescued accident compensation from private insurance? Who brought back penal rates for public holidays? Who improved health and safety laws? Who increased superannuation payments? Who created a special superannuation fund? Who introduced Modern Apprenticeships and who introduced paid parental leave? 
Government Members 
: Labour! 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: Thank you. Now let us look at leadership and let us look at the Opposition and Don Brash. He stirred up good New Zealanders by making outlandish claims such as increased bereavement leave for Maori which was not true. I challenge Dr Brash to refute the fact that his attack on Maori medical students is just a case of sour grapes or the politics of envy because his family missed out on getting there. 
Let us look at that man Dr Don Brash. He is running away from issues. He changes his mind about policies more often than we have had hot dinners. When he stirred up the treaty debate he was relieved that it was at last on the table and that we would have a “rational intelligent mature debate”. From National members? Yeah right. We then said that we would look at an inquiry but he responded: “Well do we? I don’t think we need an inquiry. There’s no need to have an inquiry. I don’t think that has to be had.” So what do we do? 
Let us also look at some really good things that have happened recently such as a big boost in industry training. That is something this Government is very proud of—an increase of nearly 20000 trainees last year to a new record high. Since the Labour-led Government came into office in late 1999 the numbers of workers in industry training have grown by a massive 56 percent and total funding has increased by 70 percent. That is done in partnership—something that the Opposition side of the House would know nothing about—with Business New Zealand and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions through the Skill New Zealand campaign. I want to acknowledge the business community and the union movement—another group on Dr Brash’s hit list; well not the business community just the union movement—which have contributed much to the skills agenda in New Zealand. 
This is a family-friendly Government. I want to look at talk about and celebrate the increase to paid parental leave. That leave will be increased to 14 weeks in line with the ILO and in line with holding our head up in the world saying we care about our families and we are progressive. I congratulate the Ministry of Women’s Affairs on its work on this leave provision. It supported it liaised with women and ensured that the plan will come to pass because it will be introduced in legislation. Again I acknowledge the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and say that that is another group the visionary Dr Don Brash has on his hit list. He has women on his hit list; he does not see the need for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. He does not see any need for unions in this country; he thinks they are destructive. 
Hon David Benson-Pope 
: He doesn’t see much need for Maori either. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: That is right. He challenges anything that is progressive. I know that this opinion is held not only in my electorate but also in Whangarei. When I was last up there there was huge support for Labour’s policies.