Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
[Volume:656;Page:5684] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) 
: 
 Before the election National pledged to look after the most vulnerable people. It is a great pleasure to follow that Minister Anne Tolley who talked about nothing to do with her education portfolio. Last week the Government spent $2.5 million reinstating conductive education funding—why? It was not because it thought it had done the wrong thing; it was done to get it off the front page of the newspapers. 
I want to talk about—as the Minister of Education scuttles somewhere within this Chamber—Julie Baker and Brittany Graham. I know there are some members over there who do not like us talking about them but a very interesting thing happened last week. A few minutes before the funding was reinstated Julie Baker got a phone call. She received the call a few minutes before the announcement was made publicly. It was from a person whom she had never met whom she had never spoken to and who up until that time had never bothered to get in touch with her to try to help her or plead her case with the Minister even though it was in most newspapers around the country and in the local news. It was from a person called Kate Wilkinson—a Cabinet Minister who occasionally resides in my electorate. In the ultimate act of political cynicism Ms Wilkinson rang up Julie Baker and said “Good news!” in a self-congratulatory tone as if she had done it herself. She told Julie Baker that the Government had done a U-turn and reinstated $2.5 million of funding that it was going to steal from her daughter and other kids who have intensive special needs. She did not apologise for putting Julie Baker through hell over the last few months or stressing out her daughter as she worried she might not get the therapy. She did not apologise because she was like a scared possum scared of the electorate in which she occasionally resides—my electorate. When she was challenged last week— 
Hon Kate Wilkinson 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That member knows very well that he is not allowed to accuse another member of a lack of courage. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I apologise to the honourable member. I was listening quite carefully to the member and I did not pick that up. 
Hon Kate Wilkinson 
: “Scared possum” Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I ask members to be a little careful in making such accusations. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I ask if my time was stopped for that interjection. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: It was stopped for that point of order. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: Let me put it this way. She ran like a brave possum with huge courage the courage of her convictions! She had the courage not to ring Julie Baker; she had the courage not to do anything for her! She had the courage not to make one representation to the Minister! She put that woman through hell. Yet she stands up at every election and says that she wants to be the member for Waimakariri because she wants to help people. I say to that Minister that she ran like a brave possum. But she never said to Julie Baker that she would explain what her Government was not going to do. She never said to Julie Baker that if her child moves to another school—because perhaps the family have to move for employment reasons or whatever—Brittany Graham loses her funding. If her parents have to take her out of Addington School—her family might be transferred to do a job somewhere else—she loses the funding. Is her cerebral palsy cured? No. Is it cured because she moves schools? I doubt it. The brave Cabinet Minister never said that to Julie Baker. 
She also never said to Julie Baker that a letter that Anne Tolley never referred to in her speech to Trudy Heath the principal of Addington School stated that if there is a 4-year-old in Waimakariri who has cerebral palsy or intensive special needs and he or she is about to enter school that child will get nothing. Oh no that brave member never explained that! Yet in the ultimate act of political cynicism Ms Wilkinson rang Julie Baker just before the public announcement. I know that because I rang Julie after the public announcement to tell her the so-called good news. 
I say to Kate Wilkinson she should get off her chuff and do her job. She purports to be a Cabinet Minister so she should front up and show that courage and that intense bravery that she says she has and maybe try to help the most vulnerable people. These kids will keep coming. To quote from Trudy Heath the principal of Addington School: “These children are still coming. There are lots at preschool on our site and their parents are saying ‘What happens when they arrive at school?’ With all the medical technology available these children are being saved at birth. They will keep coming.” Oh no! Did she say that? In response to the great U-turn which Kate Wilkinson takes credit for I have here an article that quotes Julie Baker: “Ms Baker said that her heart went out to parents of children who had not been guaranteed funding”—members opposite laugh—“but they had time to fight it and they should keep the issue on the public agenda.” I say to Paul Quinn and other members opposite who laughed—we have it in  
Hansard— 
at my colleague Ruth Dyson when she was explaining the stress that Brittany Graham has been under that they can laugh but the laugh is on them.