Joyce Steven: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeJoyce Steven: General Debate[Sitting date: 23 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19394. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development):I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. In the general debate this afternoon I think we should on this occasion start with apologies. I think we should start with apologies. I would like to lead off with a few apologies. No. 1: I am sorry for being a man. Has that been done before? [Interruption] Oh OK I will try this one—I will try another one. I am sorry for having a holiday.Hon Bill English: That’s been done before too.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Oh OK. I am sorry for wearing a red scarf. [Interruption] No. Oh I know—I am sorry for having a moa resuscitation plan. That has got to be new—that has got to be new. [Interruption] No? Another one—for you Mr Speaker: I am sorry for having a secret trust. That would be—Hon Bill English: No that’s been done.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: That has been done? I am sorry for not telling you about my secret trust Mr Speaker. Has that been done? And most of all Mr Speaker I am sorry you found out about my secret trust. I have another one: I am sorry for being tricky. That has been done before? Well we have seen a lot of apologies but from now on I am going to be straight up. I am going to stick to the Labour knitting. That is what I am going to do with the exception of the scarf.This train is leaving the station. It has left a few times before but this time it is definitely leaving the station. This is my team. This is my team except to be fair Shane Jones. He is not on the team any more no. Dover Samuels—he is not on the team any more. Andrew Little—he is not really on the team any more. Damien O’Connor and Rino Tirikatene—they are not really on the team because they crossed the floor. But aside from Shane Jones Dover Samuels Andrew Little Damien O’Connor and Rino Tirikatene this is my team.Hon Member: What about Annette?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well actually not Annette. She is not really on the team either or Phil because they work hard. They get out in the country working hard. Clayton is not really on the team. To be fair I do not think he has ever been on the team. Trevor is not so much on the team—not really on the team. But aside from Shane Dover Andrew Damien Rino Annette Phil Clayton and Trevor this is my team. This is my team. Well actually you have got to exclude Grant to be fair because Grant is not really on my team or David Parker—he is not on the team—or Chris Hipkins. He is not on it.I am not sure about Stuart Nash. I think he is on the team. He must be on the team because he said: “It wasn’t me.” He said in the Hawke’s Bay Today that he denies the claim that he criticised Cunliffe although on the other hand he also said this: “I must admit when I read it [the newspaper quoting the party source] apart from the swearing it sounds a little bit like me.” “It sounded like me.” Mr Nash said. And he said that he was not the source and that the comments could have come from “any of the 15000 members who were out putting up hoardings in the rain or delivering pamphlets in the cold or this sort of carry-on”.So this is my team except for Shane Jones Dover Samuels Andrew Little Damien O’Connor Rino Tirikatene Annette King Phil Goff Clayton Cosgrove Trevor Mallard Grant Robertson David Parker Chris Hipkins Kelvin Davis Stuart Nash and the 15000 members of the Labour Party who would have said what I did not say in the newspaper. That is my team. It is game on—it is game on. The Labour Party is marching to the election united as a single team. That is what is going on. And of course we now have the regional growth policy which we share with the Greens.The regional growth policy—here it is. It is out today: one put a capital gains tax on every productive business; two have a carbon tax at five times the current price; three introduce big levies for the use of fresh water; four restore a national awards system which would force regional employers to pay what they pay in Auckland; five stop any more trade deals; six clamp down on the dairy industry; seven clamp down on the oil and gas industry. And then the coup de grâce when that has all been done and the regions have all fallen over is to give them a $200 million slush fund to make them feel better. The Labour Party should apologise for that as well.