Coleman Jonathan: Address in Reply 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Coleman Jonathan: Address in Reply 
[Sitting date: 16 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:503. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 Mr Deputy Speaker I must say it is great to be back in Parliament. I want to congratulate you on your elevation in your case and your fellow officers on their positions and on the re-election of the Speaker. I would like to say to the new members across the House from whatever party welcome to Parliament. We have had a great range of maiden speeches from a range of members and I am very much looking forward to some great speeches this afternoon from the new National members. We are bringing in some real quality people and I think those people have great careers ahead of them. I also want to acknowledge the many National Party members and supporters in the gallery today who have come from all around the country to hear those maiden speeches.  
I cannot let that last speech go without pointing out one or two things. The thing that really struck me is that those guys over there did one thing in Government and are now saying another thing in Opposition. Of course there is a word for that but we do not need to go into that. But the facts bear this out. Under the first term of this National Government 100000 hectares of land were sold. Under the 9 years of the Labour Government 666000 hectares— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: How much? 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: —of land were sold—666000 hectares. In 1 year alone 2006 those people in Government sold 383000 hectares of land. So for Charles Chauvel to get up now and say that he is opposed to land sales to foreigners is nothing more than cheap politics—below-the-belt politics. The reality is and I can tell you Mr Shearer does not actually believe this stuff because he is a person with a wider international perspective on things. He knows that New Zealand has to grow that we need foreign direct investment. But the problem is he cannot have his voice heard in that caucus because it is the hard-nosed political people like Trevor Mallard who are pulling the strings.  
What was really interesting when you heard Charles Chauvel’s speech there was that he was talking about the tests that were applied in this case. Well the thing is the tests that were applied were exactly the same ones that were used by David Parker and all the other Labour Ministers who were involved in land consent applications during the 9 years of the Labour Government. Suddenly they are saying that the way it has been done all along is so wrong and this Government has got it so wrong but somehow they had it right. I do not think that can possibly add up.  
So I think the public are going to see this for what it is but what these people over there need to know is that when David Shearer goes to Auckland and goes to Chinese New Year and says gong xi fa cai those people will know that the Labour Party is anti-Chinese. That is the sad fact. That is how it is going to be portrayed in Beijing that if we ever get a Labour Government here— 
Todd McClay 
: Except when they want their money. 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: Of course—except when these people want donations. These people want to live in a small insular New Zealand that does not look outward. They are being increasingly influenced by the Greens and I can tell you their concept of economic sovereignty is the road to economic ruin. So they are a party— 
Hon Maryan Street 
: Grow up and be a Minister! 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: —and you can tell by how agitated Maryan Street is that we are really hitting the nail here—that when it is in Government it does something totally different.  
There is another example that has been brought to our attention. The Major Events Management Act 2007 is a very important Act which quite rightfully was designed to stop scalping at major events. When it was brought in the sponsor of that bill the Hon Trevor Mallard was very clear about why that legislation was needed. He said: “Scalping is a rip-off—” 
Hon Maryan Street 
: Find somebody to punch on the nose Jonathan! 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: Maryan Street said she wants to come and punch me on the nose so we are really hitting the point here—“Scalping is a rip-off that could deny many people the opportunity to see an event.” That is what Trevor Mallard said—“Scalping is a rip-off …”. So it came as a great surprise today for people to pick up the front page of the  
Dominion Post  
and see the “King of Uber-cool” New Zealand’s hippest 57-year-old Trevor Mallard being accused here of selling tickets for a profit online. Is that not sad? Just like with asset sales Labour ex-Ministers do one thing in Government but when it suits them—in this case for personal financial gain—they are very happy to do something else. And I can imagine the shock that these young Wellingtonians got when they were called to Trevor Mallard’s contraband ticket office the Naenae electorate office for Hutt South and found the “King of Uber-cool” coming out—no doubt in his tight black T-shirt getting down with the kids— 
Todd McClay 
: In his leather trousers. 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: Well I do not know but he was flogging off these tickets at an exorbitant price. If that is about creating a more equal society well I think the more equal society is frankly empty rhetoric on that side.  
Quite frankly it is a complete disgrace and I feel sorry for Mr Shearer because he is a good man. He was one of my constituents and I am pretty sure he voted for me. He has now moved to the Mt Albert electorate but he is a good man and the Labour Party does not deserve David Shearer. He is too good for these people. But he made a choice a long time ago he set out his stall and now he is stuck with this bunch of losers over there. I can tell you that those people are a long long way from Government.  
But there is good news too because today we have had the Budget Policy Statement. Look the Budget Policy Statement shows that we are on track economically. John Key the best Prime Minister that this country has ever had said he would get the economics of this country on the right track. [ 
Interruption 
] The new New Zealand First member Tracey Martin can go and have a read of this; it is a very good piece of paper—in fact a number of pieces of paper. We are on track to post a surplus of $370 million by 2014-15—responsible management of the finances that Labour was never able to deliver. It wasted 9 years squandering every single opportunity. We could be so far ahead if it had not raided the cookie jar year after year to buy off votes from every community imaginable.  
There is an essential choice that the voters of New Zealand made at the general election. They voted for the mixed-ownership model because unlike these guys the New Zealand public understands we have to get debt down. But we have also got to build infrastructure. We have got $250 billion worth of assets and what we are going to do in order to buy infrastructure that the country needs is partially float four of those companies. What I want to know Maryan Street if this is such a bad idea while you guys were in office why did you not buy back the 25 percent of Air New Zealand that—[ 
Interruption 
] Yep see she is playing the violin. Why did they not do it? The fact is they had the opportunity. Their opposition to this is purely political but if they had their way they would be borrowing more. We would be getting into more debt. We would be going down the route of Greece Ireland Spain and Portugal.  
We are on track and we are on track because we are making the decisions that are right for New Zealand. So I am very proud to be a member of this National-led Government. The future is excellent for New Zealand if we stick to the economic track that we are on. If these people ever get back in charge I can tell you the outlook is not going to be good at all. But fortunately what I can assure members and the public is that these people are so far away from making an impact it is negligible—years away. I do not think that the next Labour Prime Minister frankly is even in the Parliament. In fact who is the Leader of the Opposition? 
Hon Member 
: Who is he? 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: I do not know. Is it Winston? 
Dr Cam Calder 
: It could be. 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN 
: Well it could be. It could be the leader of the Green Party because that is a leaderless rabble.  
Paul Hutchison talked about the 120-point economic plan. It is about economic growth it is about looking outwards and it is about getting investment into New Zealand and growing the economy. That myopic look that says: “Don’t come here if you are a Chinese investor please.” that is not going to work. We have got to get the capital into this country we have got to raise exports we have got to get the country going. It needs clear-sighted vision and that is what the mixed-ownership model is bringing—a very clear view on what New Zealand needs.  
So those are my remarks. We have laid out our stall: a clear plan a clear delivery. The public are behind us. It is the way to go.