Heatley Phil: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Heatley Phil: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:660;Page:8675] 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Fisheries) 
: 
 At the heart of the Government’s economic plan lie six main policy drivers. At the heart of the Labour Party’s plan lie two drivers. I will go through the six drivers of the National-led Government. First of all National members have said clearly that a world-class tax system is what we want. That is what the Prime Minister announced today—a tax system that incentivises work and investment and disincentivises consumption; a system that incentivises saving and disincentivises unnecessary spending in order to help our economy. 
Secondly we are prioritising a better Public Service. That is a main policy driver. Unlike the Labour Party we do not believe that employing more and more staff in Government departments is a way to grow the economy. We believe that Government departments which are there to serve the people should work as efficiently as they possibly can. 
The third main policy driver is education and skills and that is why Anne Tolley the Minister of Education has been successful in convincing parents that it is important that schools show exactly how well their children are doing and that parents can work with teachers in order to address small problems before they become big problems. 
Fourthly investment in infrastructure is very very important to the National Government. We do not talk about building roads or investing in broadband as the Labour Government did for 9 long years. We are building roads and we are investing in broadband and that is what the public want to see. And I apologise to the general public who were held up over Christmas and even today by the amount of roadworks across the country. We cannot help it; we are investing in roads. That is what we are doing. An interim hold-up of traffic because of roadworks is the price we pay to have a world-class transport system. 
Regulatory reform is important to the National Government. Our fifth main policy driver is to cut red tape and make it easier to do business and make it easier just to live in New Zealand. Gone are the days of the nanny State telling us what to do. We are opening up new days where we trust New Zealanders and businesses to make decisions for themselves. 
Lastly the sixth main policy driver is innovation. We will reward those who think hard and outside the square those who work hard and those who invest with blood sweat tears and their own money. This is unlike the previous Government which punished people for doing well. If people did well in the education system they were punished. If people did well in business they were punished. If people worked longer hours they were punished. Under this Government people will be rewarded. 
The Labour Party has two main policy questions. Quite simply does it get Shane Jones to be its leader or does it get David Cunliffe to be its leader? I understand that Labour is to consult its membership and the general population who unfortunately are not engaged at the moment and ask whether Labour should have Shane Jones or David Cunliffe as leader. I think that once Labour makes that decision the country will breathe a sigh of relief and we might be able to get some policies out of the Labour Party instead of seeing Phil Goff week after week on television bagging everything that is suggested. Phil Goff is saying: “If the National Government and John Key suggest it I’m Phil Goff and I’m against it. It means I don’t have to think I don’t have to do any research I don’t have to get up early and I don’t have to travel around the country. If the National Government suggests it I’m agin it.” 
So those are National’s six main policy drivers: a world-class tax system better public services education and skills investment in infrastructure regulatory reform and innovation. Last year was National’s first term in Government and we succeeded in implementing a whole bunch of policy that was welcomed by New Zealanders. That policy ranged from the stimulus package—$125 million—into roads into building schools and into infrastructure right through to funding Herceptin. It is not as costly but we funded Herceptin for women with first-stage breast cancer. 
The Labour Government including the women in the Labour Government opposed that for 9 years. The women in the Labour Government never saw Herceptin funded. What a disgrace! Every New Zealander is thinking: “Hey we care about women. We think breast cancer is a real problem. Here is Herceptin which could fix it. Why wouldn’t you fund it?”. John Key said: “Yeah why wouldn’t you?”. So National funded it. [ 
Interruption 
] Look at the Labour Party women. I have touched a little nerve have I not? The Labour Party women are getting a little wound up are they not? Labour never funded Herceptin. Listen to those members. They are angry. Labour never funded Herceptin. 
The sensible practical honest humane thing to do was to fund Herceptin for women with first-stage breast cancer. [ 
Interruption 
] The Labour Government women never did it and they are upset. Why did they not think of it? Why is John Key more in touch with women’s issues than the feminists of the Labour Party? That is an excellent question. 
National has also focused on crime. We have passed new laws to toughen sentences restrict bail for violent offenders improve police powers crack down on gangs and support the victims of crime. We have provided funding for an additional 600 police. [ 
Interruption 
] This Herceptin issue has really wound up the Labour women has it not? They wish they had thought of it. They are thinking: “Why didn’t we think of that?”. National has also provided 720 Tasers and the power to DNA test offenders who are arrested for imprisonable offences. We have passed legislation to deal with boy racers and we have launched a crackdown on the drug P which is already resulting in increased seizures lab busts and prosecutions. 
It was a big year last year and it will be an even bigger year this year. Right at the top of course are our changes to the tax structure. I do not know why David Cunliffe felt that we were not addressing the issue of property investment. The statement from John Key is clear. He said: “However the Government does believe there is a gap in the current tax system around property investments where income is being derived but in aggregate no tax is being paid—in fact the Government is actually losing revenue in this sector. We will therefore be making changes to the way property is taxed which will result in increased Government revenue and more fairness for taxpayers. These changes will be announced in the Budget.” This is a comprehensive tax policy. 
I look forward this year to delivering more in the area of housing on top of the $20 million extra for in the Housing Innovation Fund stimulus package giving State house tenants the opportunity to own their own homes and allowing Maori to build houses on their ancestral land. I look forward to that. 
I would like to finish my speech by saying that last year I was errant. I called Maryan Street dishonest in this House and that was wrong of me because she is not dishonest. I disagree with some of the policy settings of the previous Labour Government. There were policy issues and philosophical issues that I disagreed with when Maryan Street was the Minister of Housing but she is not a dishonest person and I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to her for that. 
I look forward to this year as housing Minister and to working with John Key because we have a progressive package that we will put forward and it spreads into housing.