Ryall Tony: General Debate 
Ryall Tony: General Debate 
[Volume:634;Page:6091] 
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
: 
 Can people believe that we have a health system in crisis and the Minister of Health spent 5 minutes speaking to the nation and did not once mention the word “health” or mention patients in New Zealand? Not once did he share with us the email that he must have received from the Minister for ACC to tell us about the 33 claims that the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has accepted in relation to the meningococcal B vaccine. We are asking the Minister of Health what they relate to. Do they relate to something as innocent as an injection injury or more important do they relate to the serious case of an 8-year-old girl where the ACC has accepted— 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: No not most of them. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Oh “not most of them” says the Minister for ACC. I ask whether she will table the email that has that information in it because we need to know why the Ministry of Health is telling the people of New Zealand that there have been no significant events associated with the meningococcal B vaccine yet ACC is accepting claims of which we know at least one is the result of a significant impact that specialists say is the result of the meningococcal B vaccine. 
The reason why we want to know is this: parents in New Zealand have put their faith in the advice from the Ministry of Health to have their children immunised. I am one of them. I believed what the ministry was saying. Frankly I have to say that my kids did not like it but I have not seen any lasting side effects. But why would the Ministry of Health be hiding this information? Why is it not out there? There is a huge level of suspicion and misinformation out there about meningococcal B vaccination. We are relying on the ministry to tell the truth and to put it all out there. We will make the decisions. So why is ACC accepting claims when the Ministry of Health is saying that there is nothing to worry about and that nothing has been reported? We want to hear from the Minister of Health because the matter goes to the heart of our confidence in the advice the ministry is providing. 
But of course we did not hear a word about health from Mr Hodgson; we heard all about strategy. Do people know that he is the Labour Party strategist? I will tell people how long he has been the Labour Party strategist. The first time he was Labour Party strategist was in 1990—the biggest election loss the Labour Party has ever had. Then he was the election strategist in 1993. Labour lost that election. Then he was the election strategist in 1996 which gave the lowest poll result Labour had ever received. And do people know what happened in 1999? Labour people said: “Three strikes and you are out. We are having Mike Williams as the election strategist.”—and Labour won. And in 2002 was Peter Hodgson Labour’s election strategist? No it was Mike Williams. Labour won handsomely then. Then in 2005 Mr Hodgson was back as Labour’s election strategist. Labour almost lost and if it was not for Winston Peters Labour would be losing again. So much for the great election strategist! 
I ask the Labour Party back bench who appointed Pete Hodgson as Labour election strategist? Who gave him the right to be Labour strategist? I suspect that it was Heather Simpson. So at a time when we have scandal after scandal coming from this lumbering arrogant Government all we hear from the Minister of Health is nothing but politics—nothing but politics and nothing about health. Well I say to the Prime Minister that she should put the country out of its misery put this Government out of its misery and go to the people because she does not deserve to be the Prime Minister of this country. It is time to put this Government out of its misery. 
In the latest opinion polls who is gone? Russell Fairbrother—gone. Dave Hereora—gone. Moana Mackey—gone. Sue Moroney—gone. Darien Fenton—gone. Charles Chauvel—gone. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Brash is gone. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Well Mr Mallard says that so and so is gone but I have to say to him that he has lost it. Mr Mallard was almost the Minister of Finance of this country—almost—but he never got over the line. And did people hear Dr Cullen say yesterday that he was expecting to be the Minister of Finance for years to come? He was not saying that 10 months ago was he? He will not let go because he knows that Mr Trevor Mallard has lost that golden opportunity he might have had to be the Minister of Finance for a year or so. 
But honestly what is desperately needed in this country today is a fresh vision and fresh leadership that New Zealand can get from the National Party because this Government has been 7 years in office and is showing all the signs of a tired arrogant third-term Government. The latest sign was revealed today—the huge blowout in the number of ministerial press secretaries and communications advisers.