Barker Rick: General Debates 
Barker Rick: General Debates 
[Volume:617;Page:13070] 
Hon RICK BARKER (Minister for Courts) 
: 
 We know that the National Party is in complete disarray and suffering from shock when it shuffles the hapless Phil Heatley out to lead the Wednesday debate. For week after week the National Party had its best and brightest young star lead the Wednesday debate—Simon Power. It is very clear that Mr Simon Power is now seen as too much of a liability. Even Mr Don Brash is not allowed by the National Party to ask a question in the House anymore. National members are terrified of the House because the moment one of their senior people makes a statement it blows up in their faces. National members are shell-shocked quivering and cowering behind their bench seats here and they have shuffled Phil Heatley forward because they know that if Phil Heatley makes a mistake they can cut him off and no one will notice. It is really interesting. 
I would have thought that Simon Power would love to take the chance as he always does to lead the Wednesday debate to explain his position on our international relationships—whereby without reservation New Zealand will support its close allies Australia the United States and Britain whenever and wherever that commitment is called upon. That was stated as National Party policy by a National Party spokesperson to a National Party conference and that statement was then dumped on by the leader. 
But it is very interesting that on 11 May some days later the National Party made another statement of its position: “The National Party has always been international in its outlook. We will support our close allies Australia the United States and Britain when and where our commitment is called upon.” Spot the difference! That was a blue because the National Party realises that it has ceded our sovereignty to Canberra to London and to Washington and every New Zealander resiles against that. Nobody supports that position. 
When it comes to Mr Brash it is also interesting to see that he has not been asking questions lately either because it has been noted that he cannot deal with the House. It was a disaster for the National Party when he tried to play its trump card the other day—a motion of no confidence. The good Dr Michael Cullen had to help him with the words. He had to help him organise it. Despite that little wee person Gerry Brownlee whispering in his ear Dr Don Brash still could not get it right. It must have been in my view a senior moment. 
But when we look at Don Brash’s varying positions on all sorts of things it seems that he is having lots of senior moments. I take taxation as an example. When he first came into office as the leader of the National Party he said he was going to slash the tax burden on high-income earners. In April 2003 he said he would reduce the top personal tax rate to 33c in the dollar. He said that the biggest winners would be the rich but that that would be fair because they pay the lion’s share of tax. Realising that that statement had the political flight of a lead balloon the National Party then changed its position and said its top priority for tax reductions was tax relief for low to middle income families. That was another change. 
Another example is asset sales. The National Party said—again this was said by Dr Don Brash: “The Government still owns major trading activities that could in principle be privatised: New Zealand Post the Electricity Corporation and its progeny Contact Energy and the ACC just to name three.” Those all are lined up for privatisation like Kiwibank etc. Then when Georgina te Heuheu was ready to put out that statement Dr Don Brash came out and said: “There has certainly been no discussion on the sale of any assets at all.” So what is the policy? What are we supposed to believe? That was another senior moment I think. 
Let us look at the position on superannuation. It was then to “raise the age at which people become eligible for New Zealand superannuation reflecting the gradual increase in life expectancy and improved health amongst the elderly”. What is the position now? It is: “No Government of which I will be a part will be touching the age of eligibility.” 
Darren Hughes 
: Yeah right! 
Hon RICK BARKER 
: Exactly. But he did not go on to say “only for those above 50 years”. Everybody under 50 is now on notice that National under Don Brash is going to chop their superannuation just as National is going to cut people’s 4 weeks’ annual leave which was legislated for by this Government. Don Brash wants people’s holidays—their holidays. 
I have to say that while all these flip-flops are going on the country is cruising along very very well. Hawke’s Bay which is well known for its position on socialism has put on page 3 of its local paper the fact that only 1329 people are looking for jobs in Hawke’s Bay. Someone was saying the other day the he could not find work and he has now finally got a job. Employers are saying they cannot find enough workers because no one is answering firms’ calls for staff.  
Hawke’s Bay Today 
 states there are now 6000 fewer unemployed people in Hawke’s Bay since this Government came to power.