Curran ClareCLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South): Can I say happy New Year to everybody in the House and can I make a special mention of Nikki Kaye—welcome back to Parliament.Last Wednesday was an important day. It was an important day because it was the day that Labour announced that the regions matter and that Labour will invest to create jobs in our regions. It was the first announcement in a series of regional announcements to unlock potential and create jobs. It was an announcement in Dunedin and it was an announcement that a centre of digital excellence will be created which will build on Dunedin's strengths as a centre of knowledge innovation and expertise in the new economy. It is a significant signal to regional New Zealand and it is one of many.Wednesday was also special because it was the day that the election was announced—23 September. It is now 228 days until the election and Labour is ready. We welcome that announcement because we are ready and we are raring to go. Wednesday was also a special day because it was in the evening on that day that Andrew Little turned up to speak at a public meeting in Dunedin and the place was packed. It was packed to overflowing so much so that the Otago Daily Times rushed the photographer down to the meeting because as it said it had never in years seen a meeting that big—certainly not since probably the 1980s. And here is a picture on the front page of that packed overflowing meeting. I note that when Bill English spoke earlier today he said that he was unlikely to be able to fill a hall of 500. Well I tell you what Andrew Little did and he will continue to do so around New Zealand because people want to hear what Labour has to say.This election will be fought on the issues of housing health and education. In his state of the nation speech last week Bill English ignored the housing crisis he ignored the rising cost of education and he ignored the underfunding of the creaking health system. Instead all he did was announce a skinny version of Labour's policy for 1000 more sworn police announcing 880 more police. He is also ignoring the regions—or he is conning them. The announcement around UFB2 which I note that the members seem to be trumpeting sounds good but most of those towns will not get better broadband for 6 or 7 years and in internet terms that is a lifetime—and this is not just homes; this is businesses. So that is a big con.Talking about the neglect of regional New Zealand this Government hardly knows that Dunedin exists. The rebuild of Dunedin Hospital has been on ice for years. The Government has slashed 56 jobs at the Invermay Agricultural Centre. Many of them are highly educated positions at the forefront of agricultural research and development and good stable well-paid Government jobs at Government agencies have shifted north under this Government's policy of centralisation.Housing is a major issue in Dunedin—not the same sorts of issues that are in Auckland but housing affordability and the availability of affordable rental housing for people who just cannot get it. I have got a case at the moment: Jacinda and Jamie with their three children one in a wheelchair who have been forced out of their house. Their lease has expired. Fifteen houses they tried to rent but could not rent—either the house was unavailable or they could not afford it—and now they are living in a caravan park. They cannot get on the Housing New Zealand list until they are homeless. Well they are now homeless and this is just one of many.There is a housing crisis there is an education crisis and there is a huge hole in our health funding. This Government is ignoring all of those three. That is where this election will be fought.