Goff Phil: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Goff Phil: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:646;Page:15005] 
Hon PHIL GOFF (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 Mr Chairman I agree with Mr Mark’s first remark that when you called the vote there was absolute silence on the National benches—absolute silence. Not a single person on the National benches had the interest in the Defence Force to stand up and debate it. I am not surprised because in the 9 years that National last had in Government it ran down the armed forces’ equipment to the point that they were required to operate with obsolete equipment at times putting their members’ safety at risk because of it. In every year of the previous National Government’s term in office it ran down the New Zealand Defence Force. The numbers fell year after year after year. 
Mr Bennett can nod his head in the negative all he likes; he is obviously ignorant of that fact. “Noddy” is about the best description we could give him now. I ask members to look at him there; he is nodding from one side to the other. 
That is a bit like the National Party—a flip to the left a flop to the right. Finally National came up with a defence policy. It was called “We will support the air combat wing”. It condemned the Government for the dismantlement of the air combat wing. National members said we would be left defenceless and that we would be bludging off our mates. Then what happened last year the financial year under review? National members flip-flopped. Suddenly they say that it is OK to disband the air combat wing. It is a bit like interest-free loans for students. They said that they would fight that change with every bone in their bodies but suddenly they say it is a good thing to have those interest-free loans. It is the same thing in defence. They have nothing to say about defence. They have contributed nothing to defence. 
I pay tribute to my colleague Ron Mark who takes a real interest in this area and I thank him for that. He actually took the time to come up with me last year to Afghanistan to see our men and women on the ground doing the job that they are doing and it is a fantastic job they are doing as well. 
Let me for a moment pay tribute to the men and women in the Defence Force. Today the latest rotation—44 men and women mainly Territorials—left for the Solomon Islands. We have had members of the Territorial Force doing that job for the last several rotations and they perform to the highest level. They perform to the highest level and that should give us confidence in what they are doing. 
Let me say something about the people in Afghanistan. Two weeks ago Governor Sarabi of the Bamian Province was here. She spoke with the highest praise not simply for the professionalism of our forces and the fact that New Zealand had sent our forces there to protect her people but also for the fact that our soldiers airmen and naval personnel treat her people with respect. That is the thing we celebrate about members of the New Zealand Defence Force. They go in they work effectively as peacekeepers they treat people with respect and they get that respect back. That is why we can look at Bamian and agree with the United Nations the United States and other forces serving in Afghanistan that we have a model provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan. 
I want to say something too about the men—I think they were all men—who served in the Lebanon dismantling cluster munitions. They dismantled 1800 cluster munitions making that territory safe for the children and civilians who live in that part of southern Lebanon. Again I am very proud of and grateful for their contribution in that regard. 
As for Timor-Leste I am going to Timor on Easter Monday. I will be paying tribute to the men and women who are serving there. Again they are serving with real professionalism and again making a difference to the lives of the people in that country by helping to maintain stability and security in a situation that would otherwise become tragic if New Zealand Australia and those other countries that have participated did not play their part. 
I finish on the question of pay rises that Ron Mark has raised with me. He understands that there is a remuneration review. I am expecting the results of that remuneration review and I am expecting that the pay round following it will take into account the recommendations that have been made. In every year but one this Labour-led Government has increased the pay of the men and women in the New Zealand Defence Force. Under the previous National Government year after year they went without. Let me say again that National would again slash the real wages of our people in the Defence Force because it has never cared about them. All rhetoric no action and no substance—that is National. 
Report noted.