Coleman Jonathan: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Coleman Jonathan: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 12 September 2012. Volume:683;Page:5144. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 What a shocker of a day it has been for Labour. You know Labour had a great chance this afternoon for their leader to get up and make a real impact in this House and what did he do? The one question he had he withdrew. I think there would have been major disappointment amongst the grassroots Labour Party membership out there to see the Labour caucus performance in question time today. I tell you what if it is not time for a change of Labour leadership there never will be. My advice to people over there is that they have got to grasp the nettle and get on with the tough decisions. 
It has not been a good day for Labour online either because we had Mr Shearer’s online chat today. I am sure that Labour supporters that dwindling number throughout New Zealand would have been looking for some real substance. Well there it was. Clint asked Mr Shearer: “How do you get New Zealand out of debt without selling assets raising tax or taking away the few benefits that middle-class New Zealanders receive?”. Mr Shearer said: “We need to grow the economy and that needs pro-growth tax reform.” And then Sally asked: “Well what do you mean by pro-growth tax reform Mr Shearer?”. Mr Shearer said: “The big change we would make is a capital gains tax.” So that is the answer. On the one hand if Labour is in Government with New Zealand First we are going to have the exchange rate fixed and then the big answer is going to be capital gains. Well I can tell one that is not going to be what gets New Zealand going ahead. 
What is going to get the country going is sound economic management and the sort of leadership that John Key is bringing to the country. If you look at that online poll—I am sure the Labour Party will have seen it today—1800 readers of the  
New Zealand Herald  
were asked who they would be voting for: 49 percent National 22 percent Labour. They are on course for an absolute shocker. So when we see the sorts of theatrics we are getting from Trevor Mallard and co. in the House today you can tell that those people over there have lost the plot. 
Meanwhile what we are focusing on is solid performance in the economy. Unlike Labour who were supporting the crazy Green bill banning the sale of all land to overseas owners a bill that would have really severely dented our economy and sent terrible signals overseas unlike them we are getting on and encouraging investment into New Zealand and making sure we have got the capital in this country to grow the economy. A good example if the Labour Party had been in charge is that none of these decisions would have been made. So you would not have had the Japanese investor who fronted up with the capital to save 60 jobs at Terrace Downs estate in Christchurch. No the Labour Party opposed that. You would not have had the American non-profit organisation that purchased 15 hectares in Richmond and has produced jobs in construction and tourism and made sure that the people working there have maintained their jobs. No that would have been gone under Labour because it supported that ridiculous Green bill that would have banned the sale of land to all foreigners. Carbon Conscious Holdings and Kingheim Ltd would not have been allowed to purchase their forestry investments which have produced jobs and growth in New Zealand. There would not be any jobs from expansions in new projects by TAG Oil and Bathurst Resources. They would all be gone under Labour. Basically when you look at it what you are hearing from Labour members is just rhetoric. They are opposed to anything that results in economic growth. I challenge them—and I hope it is Mr Shearer who gets up next—to actually say what the Labour Party would do to grow the economy. 
Today Mr Shearer was asked some very straight questions during his online chat. He was asked what his stance was on decriminalisation of cannabis: “David yes or no; are you for the decriminalisation of cannabis?”. “I’m not making policy on the hoof.” said Mr Shearer. Mr Shearer could not even say whether he was against our young people being able to smoke marijuana or not. Well I can tell you on this side of the House we are pretty clear-cut on that stuff. I oppose the decriminalisation of marijuana because we know what it does to our young people. Labour is now trying to deflate the argument and move it off the agenda. 
But what I can say is that the Labour Party is opposed to anything that means jobs or growth for New Zealanders and New Zealanders know that. New Zealanders know that the path ahead is the very sensible course that John Key has got this Government on. I think the argument is pretty clear-cut. I think it is being reflected at the polls. The path ahead is the sensible investment decisions that this Government is encouraging. What we are seeing from those members is support of policies that are going to lead this country down the gurgler. The case rests.