Bennett Paula: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett Paula: General Debate[Sitting date: 26 November 2014. Volume:702;Page:848. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister of Local Government):I do pick up actually on the member Metiria Turei’s last point. This Government is focused on the people of New Zealand and it seems that the Opposition did not knock on enough doors. It did not actually listen to the people of New Zealand. We have heard many times over the last 4 weeks as those members have been going around talking about their leadership and what that meant which is that they wanted to listen to New Zealanders and here we have evidence this week of not a skerrick of that. So instead what they are doing is thinking quite proudly and quite smugly that New Zealanders have an interest in a blogger and that New Zealanders have an interest in the Opposition trying to besmirch the good name of the Prime Minister when we know that the report simply does not state that. So I just encourage Labour. I encourage you.Hon Annette King: Thank you.Hon PAULA BENNETT: I encourage you to stay—“Mrs Beltway” it is great to see you here with the new “Mr Beltway” and of course with the “Prince of Beltway”; so that is the top three. Stay beltway I say. So think that what you are actually standing on—that very wobbly pedestal I might say—is of relevance to New Zealanders. Do not ask about the economy and the fact that we have more jobs and that we are having to do job fairs overseas and everything else. Stick with trying to besmirch and do your dirty politics because remember we have been hearing for the last 4 weeks about how you are wanting to listen and listen to what New Zealanders really want so that you can learn the lessons after such a great tragic response.Ask yourself Mrs Mahuta do you think the people of Huntly are mildly interested in what the Labour Party has been talking about for the last 24 hours? They are mildly interested but those members think that they are—they think that they are. What people are actually interested in is housing that they can actually live in and that will make a difference for them and the fact that people are getting off welfare and into jobs and that there is something better for them and their kids down the road and that is what this Government is focused on every minute of every day. So stick with your sideshows and think that that is winning.We are on leader No. 5 now. I will take bets that this Prime Minister will hit a six you know. It is just a matter of the timing of it. [Interruption] You would go for seven? I will see you seven. I am not going to defend that one because I think you could be quite right. Actually I am hoping that Andrew Little sticks with his past performance and hits it out in the next couple of years for his future because we will remember that actually our very good National MP in New Plymouth against Andrew Little doubled his majority. So if we could take that across the country under “Mr Beltway’s” leadership then I think that that will actually get us into a great place and see us making a difference. So I have bets on the Prime Minister—well hitting a six it is a matter of when of how many months shall we go for as we then get to No. 7 and we see the difference that that can actually make.How is it going to be though when you are sitting there as the new leader of the Labour Party and you are thinking: “Who are the four who actually backed me?”. With all actual respect Mrs Mahuta more of her colleagues backed her to be the leader of the Labour Party than backed Mr Little. Far more backed Mr Robertson and actually saw him there. So those members are having a bit of a week there concentrating on themselves. “Mr Beltway” “Mrs Beltway” and the “Prince of Beltway” are deciding that this is the issue that really matters to New Zealanders after going out there and telling us how much they want to listen and take lessons from the election result and they have not had them. They have not heard those lessons. They still want to actually sit there and talk more about what they perceive to be the myth of dirty politics—you know the myth of dirty politics.Hon David Parker: The “myth”—the “myth”?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Yes. Keep going Mr Parker. Bring it on—bring it on. It is fantastic. Let us keep you talking about what it really means and what is of significance to New Zealand. So while we concentrate on the economy while we concentrate on those New Zealanders who are now no longer leaving but are wanting to come back to New Zealand and while we are concentrating on welfare reforms and social housing and actually on how the children who are currently living in hardship can do better you keep listening to what you think New Zealanders really said during that campaign and stick with your beltway issues which have zero relevance to them. Good luck!