Cosgrove Clayton: Social Security (Entitlement Cards) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Cosgrove Clayton: Social Security (Entitlement Cards) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:639;Page:9158] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Minister for Building and Construction) 
: 
 I want to take just a very short call on Part 2. That was an astounding speech from the member Judith Collins. We are now in the realm of fantasy. In her speech she said that because there was a microchip on the pensioner card that will carry valuable information— 
Judith Collins 
: For whom? 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
:—for the pensioner—not only the Mafiosi in New Zealand but Asian crime gangs around the world will be hunting down every pensioner and attending every Grey Power meeting so they can get pensioners’ cards and seek the information that may be on them about every discount and every bit of preferential treatment that pensioners may get. One can see the Asian crime gangs around the world focusing on New Zealand and saying they will change their criminal strategy and target every Grey Power meeting in the country! I tell the Rangiora branch of Grey Power in my electorate if it is listening to watch out and to call the police because Judith Collins proposes the stupid idea that somehow to have 21st century technology will expose every good pensioner in the country to every organised crime element from not only within the 12-mile limit of New Zealand but right around the world! 
I put it to the members of the Committee and even to Ms Collins’ colleagues who were cringing under their desks when listening to that that she must be scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with such a ridiculous argument to try to oppose a good policy to back pensioners. Just because Ms Collins is in Opposition does not have any ideas and does not have any policy in respect of Part 2 she tries to invent a preposterous proposal like that. 
In all seriousness I say that this is a serious debate about giving our pensioners a bit of extra help and giving them a card with some technology that will allow flexibility as is the case with most cards in New Zealand. But what is the best that the Opposition can do? The best proposal it can put forward to try to defeat the logic of this bill— 
R Doug Woolerton 
: A space cadet! 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Exactly. “A space cadet!” my learned colleague Mr Woolerton says. 
Judith Collins 
: I raise a point of order Madam Chairperson. I have put up with a lot of insults this afternoon from these upset people. But to now be called a space cadet by that man—I think he should withdraw and apologise. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I withdraw and apologise. I am sure other terms could be used. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: How about silly twit? 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I say to Mr Peters that I could not possibly comment on that. If the best that the Opposition can do and if the best that National’s front-bench spokesperson on welfare can come up with is to say we should not have this bill because the Asian crime gangs and all the gangs of New Zealand will hunt down all pensioners in order to grab their gold cards then I suggest that she ought to go out the back have a wee lie down get on the oxygen bottle and relax.