Boscawen John: General Debate 
Boscawen John: General Debate 
[Volume:676;Page:21518] 
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 The ACT Party plays a vital role in this House and to see that that is true one has only to look at four distinct things that will happen this week. Just yesterday the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill came back with major changes. Why were those changes achieved? It was because of the ACT Party. The bill came back with substantial changes. When it was reported back from the Justice and Electoral Committee there were fundamental changes to New Zealanders’ constitutional right to remain silent. The ACT Party was asked to support that and en masse we objected. The result we see today is purely as a consequence of ACT’s opposition. 
As we speak the Justice and Electoral Committee is also meeting to consider the Government’s Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill. It is meeting only because of the ACT Party. We were asked to support that legislation. We could have given the Government the support; we could have given the Government the votes; it could have been passed under urgency last Thursday. But we said no and we forced the select committee consideration. Labour may want to try to take the credit but the blunt reality as Mr Mallard knows is that the ACT Party is the reason that the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill was amended and the reason that the Justice and Electoral Committee is meeting this afternoon is the ACT Party. 
Not only that but also we have top lawyers telling that committee that the bill will not achieve its objectives. We have top lawyers telling the select committee that the so-called over-the-wall surveillance will not be legal and that although pictures might be able to be recorded audio will not be. 
In a very short time we expect the voluntary student membership bill in the name of Heather Roy to be passed. It is another major achievement for the ACT Party. 
I want to come to the issue that this House and this Parliament probably should be most ashamed about—utterly ashamed about—and that is New Zealand’s unacceptably high rate of youth unemployment. Our youth unemployment runs at some 27 percent. Sadly among Maori it is even higher. Of course there is a global recession. Times are tough—we know that. The Prime Minister reminds us of that every day that we question him on this issue in question time. But the blunt reality is that regardless of a global recession the problem with youth unemployment has been made worse by the actions of every single party in this House bar the ACT Party. We know the reason that youth unemployment is higher than it should be. It is that youth rates were abolished as a consequence first of all of a Green Party member’s bill that was supported by the Labour Government in the last session of Parliament. The National Government had the opportunity to repeal that bill and it refused. What does that lead to? It leads to young people sitting at home on the unemployment benefit being denied the chance to work denied the dignity of work and denied the opportunity to gain experience. This Parliament has legislated against the right of young people—people of 16 and 17—who do not have the maturity or the experience to go out and to get a job. This Parliament has condemned them to sit at home on the unemployment benefit earning $4.50 an hour. It is a disgrace. 
How interesting that just this afternoon there was another major achievement for the ACT Party. The Minister of Labour acknowledged that a Department of Labour report has been put out in the last 2 weeks that actually acknowledges that despite the fact that the world is in recession youth unemployment is some 20 to 40 percent higher than it needs to be. We heard this afternoon from Mr Joyce who was speaking on behalf of the Minister of Labour that that report will inform Government policy. He told us that it will inform Government policy. We can only hope that that is a smoke signal to say that National is finally prepared to listen to what the ACT Party has been saying for the last 2 years and longer. It is the ACT Party that cares for young people more than any other political party in this Parliament. 
Darien Fenton 
: Rubbish! Rubbish! 
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN 
: Absolutely. The people on that side of the House—and sadly those in the Government ranks as well—close their ears. Although Labour members may not want to agree with me National members know I am telling the truth. They know I am telling the truth because they had the chance to oppose the Green Party member’s bill and they did so. National voted with ACT to oppose the abolition of youth rates. When National members had the chance to reverse that what did they do? They sat on their hands and did nothing. Let me say to National members that it is an absolute disgrace. Sadly they sit there knowing that we need not have the situation we have today. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.