Wilkinson Kate: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Wilkinson Kate: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 04 April 2012. Volume:679;Page:1651. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon KATE WILKINSON (Minister of Conservation) 
: 
 Can I first start off this debate by congratulating the Leader of the Opposition. I want to congratulate him on his courage to shave his locks. It was for a very good cause. It concerns a lot of people and it is a very important cause. Unfortunately I think what it has done is that it is a bit like with Samson and it has reduced and taken away his strength. All he can talk about and focus on are so-called debacles but actually I think it is really important that we focus on the issues that matter because that is what New Zealanders want us to focus on. They want us to focus on the issues that matter. That is what we want. It is not unfortunately what the Opposition wants. For some reason it wants to divert us from those issues that matter but we will not be diverted.  
What matters is growing the economy. What matters is making us more competitive as an economy. What matters is growing our businesses having more businesses and not destroying businesses. To be successful we need more productive businesses and we need more businesses. That means we need more jobs not fewer. We need to make it easier to get jobs not harder to get jobs in those productive sectors. Yet the Opposition would do the opposite. One of its policies is to immediately put up the minimum wage to an unsustainable level and that is the loss straight away of 6000 jobs—6000 jobs because the Opposition cannot focus on the issues that matter.  
One of our most successful policies was the 90-day trial which independent research has shown was responsible for the creation of 13000 new jobs. That is 13000 new jobs for our businesses. That is helping our businesses become more productive. That is helping our economy. That is what matters. That is what we should be focusing on. But what will the Opposition do? It will repeal it. It is the most successful policy in creating jobs—13000 new jobs—and Labour will put those jobs in jeopardy. And Labour thinks it is the workers’ party. Well I do not think Labour is the workers’ party because it is so ideologically driven that it is not focusing on what matters to New Zealanders it is not focusing on what works for New Zealanders and it risks jeopardising the creation of jobs building new businesses and building a productive economy by way of some ideological rubbish.  
We have already heard that we have four priorities for this term one of which is responsibly managing the Government’s finances and the IMF has already endorsed that. We have a fantastic Prime Minister and a fantastic Minister of Finance. The country is in good hands. These are not easy times; these are globally difficult times economically. These are difficult times in Christchurch and we are managing well. The second priority is to build a more productive and competitive economy. It seems to be the opposite of what the Opposition wants to do. Thirdly we are delivering public services. And lastly we are rebuilding Christchurch which as a proud one-eyed Cantabrian is certainly dear to my heart. It is a bit of a wasteland down there. One does not recognise where the streets are. We do not have the same landmarks but one can see the Port Hills and Mount Sugarloaf from most streets in Christchurch where we could not before. It offers fantastic opportunities and exciting opportunities to build a really sustainable and fantastic city that will be the envy of all New Zealanders. So I very much support that fourth priority of rebuilding Christchurch as one of our main priorities for the term.  
Within this plan there are initiatives and focus areas and one of those is skilled and safe workplaces which again is dear to my heart. It is vital that workplace safety matters. It is vital that we all get the message that workplace safety matters. Actually that is one of the great great things that the new Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment can focus on to make sure that there is an integrated approach that actually works and that can actually help make our workplaces safer. Because we all know that if businesses are safer and workers are safer then it is easier for them and better for them to be productive. Obviously we want our workers to know that when they go to work in the morning and when they go home in the evening they and their families are safe. We need to have a workplace culture that keeps our workers safe.