Robertson Grant: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Robertson Grant: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:671;Page:17470] 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) 
: 
 That was a fantastic amateur dramatic performance there from the Minister in the chair the Minister of Health. The Whakatane amateur dramatic society has never looked so good. The Minister is failing to remember something about a couple of the issues he raised: firstly closing the gaps. I remember National telling us that closing the gaps was a racist policy. That is what National told us but now the Minister stands up and proudly says that his Government has done it. That is selective memory from the Minister. 
It was selective memory from the Minister on smoking too because I know that that Minister and all bar two of his colleagues opposed every measure that the Labour Government tried to bring up on smoking. I ask Mr Ryall who opposed the Smoke-free Environments Act. Did Mr Ryall oppose that? Mr Ryall opposed that bill. “Old Smoky” over there Associate Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman opposed it as well while he was blowing cigar smoke all over people. This Government has no creditability to lecture Labour on smoking cessation because those members opposed all the measures that our Government put up. Labour stands proud behind people like Steve Chadwick Annette King and Helen Clark who brought those measures into play. 
Mr Ryall seems very concerned about the notion of patients going to Australia. He seems very concerned about the notion of patients going to Australia—other than the fact that of course under National cancer patients did go to Australia—but I will tell members whom Mr Ryall should actually be worried about going to Australia. He should be worried about doctors and nurses going to Australia. There has been a 300 percent increase in the number of doctors going to Australia in the last 2 years. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: 500 doctors? 
GRANT ROBERTSON 
: That is what he said that is right. That is what he said. But actually a 300 percent increase in the number of doctors going to Australia is the move to Australia that the Minister should be worried about. It is all smoke and mirrors with this Minister. It is manufactured targets it is being able to show off his little league table but the reality is that for people on the ground health care is now less affordable and less accessible than it was previously because this Government has decided to focus on its cheerleading targets rather than on the actual needs of people in New Zealand. 
We have to remember that the cuts that have come have come to some of the most vulnerable people in our community such as the cuts that have come in aged care. People have been called on the phone and asked “How are you feeling?” and at the end of the call they have received a cut because they have said they are feeling OK. My constituent’s father a 92-year old war veteran was called up and asked over the phone how he felt and had his home care cut and a neighbour found him on the ground several hours after he had a fall in his house—because his home care was cut by this Government. That is the kind of cut we have seen under this Government. 
We have seen cuts here in my region of Wellington to programmes in sexual health and community mental health. Organisations that have worked for years in mental health and community mental health have had their funding cut by this Government. Because the Minister does not have a target for mental health the district health boards look somewhere else. The Minister does not have a target for public health so the district health boards look elsewhere. This Minister likes to shove the problem off to other people. 
Hon Annette King 
: Where did the 500 doctors come from? 
GRANT ROBERTSON 
: Yes and we would like to see evidence of the 500 doctors who were magicked up from somewhere by the Minister. But the problem for this Minister and the problem for this National Government is that the affordability and accessibility of health care have declined under this Government and will decline further in the future as the amount of money needed to go into health is simply not being invested. This Minister might be able to throw his arms around in the air and tell us in his dramatic style about all the wonderful things that he has done but the truth is that on the ground faced with an increased cost of living and the inability to put a healthy meal on the table for many people—because it is now too expensive—people are making choices on the basis of how much money they have about whether they and their family can access primary care. That is not the New Zealand that I want to live in. I want to live in a New Zealand where people know that they can get quality health-care and that cost is not a barrier for them. Primary care public health and prevention should be the priority; sadly from this Minister it is manufactured targets and slogans.