Dunne Peter: Address in Reply 
Dunne Peter: Address in Reply 
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Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) 
: 
 Madam Speaker I begin by congratulating you and the other presiding officers on your election and assuring you of the support of the United Future members in this House for the difficult job you have ahead of you in presiding over this Parliament. I also pay our traditional respects to Her Excellency the Governor-General for the outstanding job that she does as our head of State and for the quiet dignity that she brings to that role. I note that this is the last time we will do this in respect of our current Governor-General whose term will expire during the life of this Parliament. 
I also congratulate the mover and the seconder of this debate on their speeches and in advance congratulate all other speakers who will make their maiden speeches in the course of this debate. It has been said many times but it is worth repeating that this is probably the most important speech that any member of Parliament gives because it is the speech in which they talk about themselves their own aspirations and the things that drive them to serve their communities. I share the view of others that these are speeches worth reflecting upon in years to come to see how far one has held true to the goals and aspirations that one sets out in that maiden speech. It can be an illuminating experience from time to time. 
I acknowledge too the support of my constituents in Ohariu-Belmont. I am very humbled and grateful for the fact that for an eighth time they have reposed their confidence in me and I will do all I can to repay that as their representative over the next 3 years. I acknowledge the efforts made in the previous Parliament by my colleagues who are no longer with me. We are somewhat reduced in numbers but I place on record my acknowledgment of the contribution of that team of members of Parliament who served with us between 2002 and 2005. 
This is a vastly different Parliament from that and the challenges that will be upon us will consequently be different and greater. In that respect I acknowledge the previous speaker Tariana Turia for her contribution and for the dimension that her party brings to this Parliament. I think all of us who may not previously have given the issues that she speaks about the attention that they deserve will have to listen and be guided by the interpretation and the wisdom that her party brings. I look forward to the relationship that will develop between our parties as this Parliament goes on. 
One of the key features of the election its outcome and the Government formation that has taken place is that for the first time since MMP was introduced we have a Parliament that now has the genuine prospect of decisions being made on the floor of this House because the narrowness of the numbers means that there will be many occasions when amendments from one side of the Chamber or the other succeed. The days are gone when the automatic Government majority however it is constructed will be sufficient. That will impose a challenge on all of us to be constructive to work in the best interests of our country and to promote those policies we see as important not just because it is about getting a headline but because for the first time for many there is a chance they may be able to succeed. 
 My party is one that is founded on the principles of respect for life liberty freedom opportunity and community. We see issues relating to families as very much at the core of delivering those virtues because families are a foundational unit in our society. All of the things that we will be focusing on over the life of this Parliament take their inspiration from a statement made by Norman Kirk over 30 years ago in this place when he said that it is the primary responsibility of any Government to do things—and I am paraphrasing very loosely—that are good for families and to reject things that are bad for families. That wisdom is as true today as it was when it was stated way back in 1973 or 1974. Consequently the focus that United Future members will bring to this Chamber over the next 3 years is just that. The agreement that we have concluded with the Labour-led Government is in many areas about advancing the broad interests of New Zealand families. 
One of the reasons we want to have a thorough review of our business tax system to make it more competitive in the first instance with Australia is not because of some arcane argument about relativities but because in reality by having a competitive tax environment that fosters the growth and development of business opportunities in New Zealand we foster the development and growth of employment opportunities wealth-creation opportunities and prospects for our people here in New Zealand. The previous speaker spoke about so many who fall between the cracks. This is a practical step that we can take towards firstly minimising those cracks and secondly making sure that people will not be slim enough to fit through them. 
When we talk about the Families Commission taking an oversight role for programmes relating to relationships and parenting skills education that is practical recognition of the fact that at the moment in New Zealand by a conservative estimate each year we spend between $30 million and $45 million in a very uncoordinated way on such programmes. People thirst for information they call out for the opportunity but we have no real way of ensuring that the information they get will be in any way beneficial to them or have any value in terms of today’s parents their children and the parents of the future and that is a very practical point that we are focused upon. 
When we talk about the need to reduce the burden on parents and students because of the way in which the means test applies to parental income for student loans that is as much about reflecting household income and household opportunity as it is about reflecting the stresses and strains that are placed upon our students that actually create opportunities for them not to stay in New Zealand and benefit us from their education but to flee off overseas to earn more money to pay off their debt. 
When we talk about having a national medicines policy based on the quality usage of pharmaceuticals and looking at the role of agencies like Pharmac in relation to that that is about ensuring that every New Zealander whatever his or her circumstance has the opportunity to get the best access to medicines that is possible given the emerging conditions and given the emerging technologies. 
It is all consistent with being part of an arrangement that means we govern in the interests of New Zealand families and provide the wherewithal for those New Zealand families to prosper to have opportunity and to launch the next generation positively on the journey of life. We are not a party that wants to prescribe rules and directions that shackle people’s opportunity but we do want to create the opportunity and see Government’s role as working constructively towards that so that our young people can have an opportunity to be part of a vibrant and new New Zealand. 
The challenges we face are profound. This country stands on the threshold of a bold new future. We are questioning our traditional identity. We are talking about the sort of direction we want for our country a vision for the future where we fit constitutionally and where we fit in terms of our place in the world. All of those issues are ones that this Parliament has to take on board and start to address. With the diversity of numbers here and if the goodwill that has been emphasised in recent days remains in even a small dose we have the opportunity and the chance to do something constructive and make a positive step towards building the New Zealand of the future. I look forward to working with other parties in this House who share that vision—on different matters perhaps from time to time but none the less who are committed to New Zealand’s future—to see what we can collectively do to make the next 3 years ones that will be memorable for this country and positive for our citizens and will create strong opportunity for our people to come in the future. 
Madam Speaker I wish you and your colleagues well as you embark upon the role of overseeing us in the vigorous debates that will follow. I look forward to hearing the views aspirations hopes and challenges of the many new members who will make their maiden speech during the course of this debate.