Dyson Ruth: General Debate 
Dyson Ruth: General Debate 
[Volume:630;Page:2073] 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister of Labour) 
: 
 As a Minister and member of Parliament who has always taken responsibility for my own actions both good and bad I reject and resent the whingeing whining gutter-scraping behaviour of that member who has just resumed his seat. I remember that when I first came into Parliament in 1993 the brat pack of Bill English Tony Ryall Roger Sowry and Nick Smith were regarded as young and energetic and frankly they added a bit of flair to this House so desperately needed from the National Party. Now look at them: Roger Sowry has gone so I have no comment to make about his contribution and the remaining three members are tired bitter twisted and nasty contributors in this House. 
Hon Bill English 
: Stop talking about yourself. 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I say to Mr English that I have never been nasty and I am certainly not bitter. I can only assume that the resentment those members exude in the House is because the born-to-rule brat pack does not like being in Opposition for another 3 years. 
The first day of April 2006 will be a very good day for lots of New Zealanders. I want to start though by highlighting one particular New Zealander who will have a particularly good day on 1 April 2006 and that is my mother who turns 80 on that day. She will have a good day but so will three out of four families who are in the paid workforce and have dependent children. Yet again they will receive a significant boost to their income and that is because of our Working for Families package. 
Students and graduates who have been burdened by the interest accumulating on their student loans will know that from 1 April that interest is gone as long as they are in New Zealand. What a great incentive for young students and graduates to stay in New Zealand and pay off their student loans—which they will be able to do more quickly than in the past—or to come home again. We will see that student debt go down and that is a fantastic contribution to the skills shortage we are facing in New Zealand. 
Superannuitants will have a significant increase longer term in their standard of living. That will occur not only because of the adjustment on 1 April taking the rate for a married couple to 66 percent of the average ordinary-time weekly wage but also because of the agreement New Zealand First has with the Labour-Progressive Government which means that that level—the relativity at 66 percent—will be maintained. 
 Also on 1 April we will see the biggest changes to business taxes since the late 1980s and that is a well-deserved initiative from our Government. But the final point I make in terms of the announcements that will come into force on 1 April is about the accident compensation levy discount programme. We have had this scheme in place for larger employers for a long time. I am really pleased that this initiative which rewards good practice for the self-employed and small businesses is now being rolled out. We are targeting the six highest risk industries—the ones that have the most injuries: agriculture forestry construction road freight transport motor trades and inshore fishing industries to start with. If those industry players—with small businesses and the self-employed—can demonstrate they have a serious commitment to health and safety in their workplace they will get a 10 percent reduction in their accident compensation bill and I know they will really welcome that. 
From 1 April those businesses will be able to apply to join the programme. and I really encourage all small businesses to do that. Not only will it be good for their pockets in that they will have a 10 percent reduction in their bill every year but also—and I am sure everyone in this House will agree—it will be better for every New Zealand worker if we can improve health and safety standards within the workplace. Too many of our workers go to work in the morning and do not come home at night so if we can do anything to reduce the fatalities and the number of serious injuries that happen in our workplace I am sure this will get very strong support from all parties in the House. 
The initiatives I discussed at the start of my contribution are the result of a lot of hard work by the Labour and Progressive parties over the last few years. We are doing that work because we are committed to having a better future for all New Zealanders. We want a country where we have a strong economy where our families can enjoy better opportunities and are secure and where we can have pride in the unique identity of our nation.