Gosche Mark: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Gosche Mark: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:629;Page:1092] 
Hon MARK GOSCHE (Labour—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 That speech is something that I am sure John Banks will comment on tomorrow on his radio show. I remind people what John Banks said 2 weeks ago about his former colleagues on the National Party front bench. Although I do not have a lot in common with Mr Banks except that we share a birthday I agree with him when he said: “I am a Don Brash supporter but I’ve got to say John Armstrong”—whom he was interviewing at the time—“I don’t notice 47 hard-working people. I notice a handful of people in the National caucus that are serious and the rest are lazy.” John Armstrong said: “Exactly right. I wrote in the  
Herald 
 last week that I think the front bench is operating at perhaps 70 percent capacity and I said that was being generous.” 
That is what is wrong with the National Party today. They do not look tired because they are lazy. They do not do anything. Have we heard out of their line-up yet a single piece of policy? I think we might have heard something out of Gerry Brownlee that sort of estimated a policy. He said he was going to help Maori people get back on top and that the National Party really did not mean anything 2 years ago at Orewa. It was all forgotten. They were going to settle all those Treaty settlements and Maori were going to rise up and take their rightful place in our society. That was from Gerry Brownlee. 
We heard nothing from Bill English but I will tell the House— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: We do stand by the Orewa speech. 
Hon MARK GOSCHE 
: So he does not agree with Gerry. There again that is why the National Party is in trouble. Gerry Brownlee is sucking up to the Maori Party and saying National is going to settle all the treaty settlements. Maurice is saying: “No no; that’s not our position.” Therein lies the problem for the National Party. They do not say a single thing one can rely upon. 
Mr English asked in his speech whether there was mention of education in the Prime Minister’s speech. Might I point him to the speech and to a couple of areas of huge importance. The first is early childhood education and childcare—20 hours free for 3 and 4-year-olds due to take effect in 2007. Second the new teacher-child ratios of 1:15 in new entrant classes are planned for introduction. I suppose it is too much to expect the future Minister of Education in a National Government to read halfway through the speech. That might tax his abilities. He could not find the word “education” anywhere. I found it just by listening to the Prime Minister and I reread her words. The reason the National Party does not see that as being important is that National neglected early childhood education. It said to Maori and Pacific Island children for 9 long years that they do not count and that National did not care; that it did not think that early childhood education mattered. Yet all the statistics show as this Government realises that if children do not get early childhood education they enter primary school education behind all their cohorts. Those children are never able to catch up. They come out of the secondary system without the qualifications that will make their lives better. This Government has done an enormous amount about that. We announced last week more funding for more early childhood education targeted at New Zealand children who are missing out. 
The other interesting thing about education as far as the National Party is concerned is that if they do not like a school in their electorate they threaten to knife the people in the back. Where is the mention of that in Mr English’s speech when his mate down the back of the Chamber made threats to people within his own community? 
I will give another example of education and what this Government is doing. There is a school in my electorate that the National Party would have preferred to see go under. National’s policy is “survival of the fittest”—if people do not like the local school they should get on a bus or get in the car and go to Auckland Grammar. So it neglected schools in South Auckland year after year. It said they were not good enough and that kids should be able to choose to go somewhere else. It did not matter if it was in the city or 30 kilometres away. It said: “Let the market prevail”. This Government does not believe in that nonsense. We put $15 million extra into a school in my electorate. If the school had not got that money the students would have had to go all the way into the city to an overcrowded school that cannot cope. That is the stark difference between Bill English and members on this side of the House. We believe in every local school being resourced properly in every local school getting the sorts of resources a Government can give so that local kids can go to local schools. 
Darren Hughes 
: He says they are awash with cash. 
Hon MARK GOSCHE 
: Well we know that John Banks is right. Have we heard a front-bench member of the National Party espouse a piece of policy yet? No they are too busy trying for the top job. They keep on thinking they have a leader. They do not have a leader. None of them has the capabilities of leadership. It requires some thought some policy and some vision. So whilst they scrap with each other over the leadership of the National Party it is not a leadership worth scrapping for because they are all too damn lazy in the words of John Banks. He is their former colleague and he said on radio that he thinks Don Brash is the man that he is a good man but behind him sit 47 lazy people who do nothing. We are going to wait for 3 or 4 days of debate and I bet we do not get a single piece of policy out of the National members as to what they would do instead. 
Will we hear John Key tell us what their economic formula is? Did we hear it from Don Brash? No we did not. They do not have any policy. I think they had a policy during the election from Brian Connell. He was quickly shut down and shoved down the back so nobody can see him ever again—thank goodness. The only things that approximated a policy during the election campaign were tax cuts and Brian Connell and whatever he said about chopping down trees anywhere in the country. And he soon got told what to do. Of course if they had had any policy Don Brash would not have known what it was anyway. Every time he was asked he got it wrong. He mucked up. 
So that is why Mr Key and Mr English and Mr Brownlee are all out there getting their magazine profiles done. Poor old Bill! He is a bit behind. He has not got into  
North and South 
 lately. [ 
Interruption 
] There is time yet for Bill. Gerry sort of made a speech today that brought a few smiles to the faces of the new back-bench of the National Party. All the wonder kids were sitting there and thinking: “How come Don can’t do a good speech like Gerry?”. I watched them. They all trotted dutifully down to the House to listen to Gerry’s speech. At least he sort of looked a bit like somebody in Opposition who had a bit of fire in his belly. But what did they get from their great leader Don Brash? No wonder they are all plotting and scheming and running around the press gallery telling everybody about the leadership coup that is not going to happen when everybody knows that eventually it will. 
The public are out there thinking: “What’s this National Party about?” and then they can have a look at the Prime Minister’s statement and look at the things this Government is not just talking about but will be doing over the next few months and years. On 1 April the 350000 families that will get tax relief under the Working for Families package will not be saying that it is no good and that they do not want it. They will be saying that it is what they need that when they are young and they are having their children and their costs are high they need a Government that cares. We have passed that legislation. It is done and dusted and it is on the way. So is the increase in superannuation. It is done and on 1 April with the support of the New Zealand First Party and others it comes into force. 
The students will not be moaning about the interest coming off their student loans on 1 April. They will be saying: “What a good Government!”. They will be using their common sense to make sure they can stay in this country and repay the loan and get on with doing other things like buying a house. We have the KiwiSaver coming in and other forms of assistance for homeownership. It was all in the Prime Minister’s speech. It is not just talk; it is action. We are doing it. The National members are just talking about it and they are doing nothing over there. That is why John Banks is right: there are 47 of them and they are lazy. That is why they come here looking refreshed today. They have not done anything for months—for years actually—in terms of coming up with a policy that the public can understand. 
So I challenge the National Party members to come out with more than just a vague reference like Gerry Brownlee did to what they might do. I challenge them to come out with real policy that contrasts with ours and then the public will judge. Not a hope!