Bayly Andrew; Kuriger BarbaraHon ANDREW BAYLY (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs): Hey thank you Madam Speaker. First of all I'd like to congratulate you on your appointment. We came into the House together at the same time and it's wonderful to see you sitting up there administering this debate. Wow that was an interesting speech wasn't it? I've got to say that is someone going back in time I think and I think I'd just say to the Hon Julie Anne Genter maybe she should come up to Franklin just south of Auckland and try and get on the motorway and drive to work at 6.30 in the morning and tell all those people who are struggling to get on the motorway let alone drive along the motorway because it's absolutely congested that they are ignorant fools because I'm not sure that they're going to agree with you. I would suggest that they might say that you are delusional and that we do need good infrastructure.By the way investment should be balanced which means you should have a mixture of rail and good roading networks. We are having to spend $500 million extra on fixing up some of the potholes—won't fix it all. But your issue and your comments about infrastructure I think are out of order. I think many people out of Wellington CBD because that's where you seem to put your focus would find that it's particularly out in the rural communities where we do need to see a lot more infrastructure investment.So first of all it is interesting being on this side of the aisle. I've got to say it's a better view over here; not so good when you're sitting over there. I've sat over there for the last six years. I can see them all looking at their phones looking down here but it is a nice perspective. It's a very nice perspective over here.I also want to acknowledge all the brand new MPs from across the House but particularly from this side of the House. We're surrounded by them. There are fleets of them here. Many of them have won their seats their electorate seats got out there spoken to their communities and the communities have put their trust in them and that's the main thing. They have chosen to choose these people to come into the Parliament and to represent them strongly. Of course we saw some of the amazing maiden speeches yesterday and I'm sure we're going to see more today.But I tell you I'm going to talk about the Speech from the Throne. It's interesting—I went back to the 2020 speech. Just to cast everyone's mind back Labour came in with this crushing absolute majority and the Governor-General said on behalf of the Government Crises do not form an orderly line waiting to be addressed." then went on to wax lyrically about accelerating our economic recovery and to lay the foundations for a greater future. What a hash they made of it—what an absolute hash of it.We have just over the last few years and particularly the lifetime of this Labour Government six years of crises. Luckily New Zealand is under new management—Hon Member: Back on track.Hon ANDREW BAYLY: Back on track and how desperately do we need that? New Zealand faces long-term economic issues. We've got social challenges and particularly the division that is so strident across New Zealand now. The public voted for a change and thankfully they trusted us and we have a requirement and an obligation to fulfil that.So the coalition Government is going to set about—and this is set in the agreements. Our objectives are to provide stability. We want to grow economic prosperity because when you do that means everyone in New Zealand benefits—everyone. We want to restore national unity and that's probably going to be the hardest thing to do with all the division we've got. And we're going to boost social cohesiveness alongside the rights and responsibility of being a New Zealand citizen. Those are the right principles.This coalition Government's priorities for this term include rebuilding the economy improving the quality of Government spending and gee we have witnessed just an avalanche of spending—much of it wasted. Some of it was all right but most of it was wasted—blown into the ether. We're going to reduce regulation and we're going to lower the cost of living for ordinary New Zealanders because that is what is hurting so many people now. They've got no money in their back pocket. They can't buy the shoes for their kids. They can't afford to pay for the membership for some sporting organisation—Hon Scott Simpson: Or put petrol in the car.Hon ANDREW BAYLY: Or put petrol on the car; that's right. You'll see them in your electorate Mr Simpson where people go to the fuel bowser and only put in $20 worth.People are hurting out there and it's our obligation to try and improve their lives. One way is about tax cuts but it's not just that; it's about providing a framework where Kiwis want to get ahead where people business owners want to invest. Because it involves risk—it involves huge amounts of risk. You often have to borrow money against your house. It means you have to get out there and work 24 hours a day often for quite some periods of time before you turn a profit and we want them to do that. We want them to feel like they have the opportunity to do that because when they do they hire people and it means more people and good jobs not sitting on benefits. As James Meager said yesterday it's about getting people back into jobs about creating a lifestyle for themselves that they feel confident to give them a sense of purpose and they choose to do it not because some Government tells them to do it—they choose to do it. That's what we're about.We also want to support our small businesses because they are the powerhouses of our economy. Unfortunately that Labour Government over there for the last six years just saw them as a cash tool and they imposed heaps of regulation on them without properly considering the nature and the cost and the burden of that regulation on small businesses. That is why New Zealand is in such a parlous state. That is why we have got a turn-around job as the Prime Minister so correctly describes it—a huge job. So I'm very grateful that the Prime Minister has asked me to look after small businesses commerce and the stats portfolio.But the other portfolio he's asked me and trusted me with is a brand new one: Minister for manufacturing. The industry has been crying out for a Minister of manufacturing. What people don't realise: manufacturing accounts for 230000 people employed in this economy—230000 people; about 10 percent of the economy. It underpins about two-thirds of the value of all our exports. So it's a privilege to be able to do that. In our agreement with New Zealand First and ACT we have a raft of things about how we're going to improve the lot for our small businesses and manufacturing.Now I've only got a few minutes left but regulations: we're going to make sure the quality of regulations are good they are based on sound principles and they drive economic growth. I'm looking forward to working with Minister Seymour to achieve this in his new role as regulation Minister. We're going to make it easier for small businesses to employ people. We're going to repeal that dreadful proposal the fair pay agreement by Christmas. We are going to commit to moderate rises in minimum wage. I know when I employed lots of people to be able to budget for increases in minimum wage—and we used to do roughly about 50c when we were last in Government every year. Everyone knew it; everyone planned for it. We want to see continuity. We want to see stability. We want people to have predictability so they can plan for it and budget for it. We want to reform the health and safety regulations. We want to reintroduce the 90-day trials because we believe that is a good way—in fact an enhancing way to get people who you are going to take a risk on to see if they can work in your factory. We're going to look at how we simplify personal grievances arrangements particularly removing the eligibility for remedies where employees are at fault. We're going to increase or improve the immigration settings and we are going to do a whole lot in commerce which is one of my portfolios. We're going to have an inquiry into the banking competition. We're going to expand the role of the Grocery Commissioner. We're going to rewrite that dreadful credit contracts and consumer finance Act that that Government there implemented. We are going—DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member's time has expired."