Pillay Lynne: General Debate 
Pillay Lynne: General Debate 
[Volume:630;Page:2510] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 What a bunch of whingers! I cannot believe it. We sat and listened to the previous speaker banging on about how bad we are with imported cars. Who wrecked the car industry in this country? It was the National Government—and now they whinge on and on about low wages in this country. What was the biggest driver of low wages in this country? It was the Employment Contracts Act. Who brought in the Employment Contracts Act? It was the National Government. We hear from John Key who boasts about his upbringing and his hard-working mum—and I acknowledge his hard-working mum—who brought up those children in a State house. He acknowledges that that was his upbringing but what do he and his party want to do? They want to flog off as many State houses as they can and introduce market rents so that other hard-working New Zealanders do not have the opportunity that John Key and his brothers and sisters did. 
Hon Annette King 
: It’s welfare. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: That is right; it is welfare and that is a terrible dirty word to the National Party. I would like Paula Bennett to rise and take a call. She boasts that she was a single parent who got a university education. That is very very commendable. But she received the domestic purposes benefit—which is commendable—and she studied at a time when university education was free. We now hear Paula Bennett and the National Party being so critical of our progressive student loan policy. We feel really really proud that we will stop that crippling debt for students in New Zealand. When students in New Zealand graduate as long as they are committed to staying here studying here and sharing their skills in this wonderful country they will not be burdened by debt and interest. We think that is commendable. We think it is great that our young people are saying to us that this policy is a major thing for them and they are proud to be here. It is a really great opportunity. I can see Maurice Williamson sitting opposite and hanging his head in shame. I have met his children and he knows that they will benefit from those policies. He is ashamed of the policies that came in under a National Government. 
I will also talk about the Working for Families package. I want to talk about my hard-working electorate office. One of my staff members recently received paid parental leave under this Government so we had a staff member relieving. That staff member who worked very hard in our busy electorate office is over the moon about the changes that have happened because under the targeted tax relief she will get so much more income and that enables her to finish her studies work part-time and even get a Christmas bonus. That targeted tax relief will put more money into her family’s pocket. She is so proud to be a Labour supporter and to be part of our Waitakere community and part of our whole New Zealand community. Three out of four New Zealand families will benefit from this wonderful policy. It is one that I think is an absolute benchmark for this Government and one that I feel proud of. 
Hon Annette King 
: Are they going to keep it? 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: Who knows? One minute they are and one minute they are not. One minute they are critical and the next minute they are not. We cannot rely on National Party members to tell us any of their policies because quite frankly they do not have any. The reason they do not see much need for policies or to verbalise them is that in their heart of hearts they know they will never be in a position to implement them. People in this country are forward-thinking and do not want to listen to whingers. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.