Pettis Jill: General Debate 
Pettis Jill: General Debate 
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JILL PETTIS (Labour) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to join the debate this afternoon and I had to laugh out loud when I heard one of those earlier National speakers try to imply that Labour was tired. I just about fell over. Labour loves a good battle; it is part of our culture. Labour members of Parliament and Labour Party supporters are fighters. That is who we are. Daddy does not buy us a seat in Parliament I tell David Carter; we are here because we fight to get here we fight to stay here and we fight for the people we feel passionately about. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is a long-held tradition in this House that we do not accuse somebody of buying a seat in Parliament. But that is what that member just did. I ask you to ask her to withdraw and apologise. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Yes if that is what the member said I ask her to withdraw please. 
JILL PETTIS 
: I withdraw—I am very sorry David Carter. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Order! 
JILL PETTIS 
: I withdraw. We are prepared to fight because unlike National and John Key we know what it is like to struggle up from the bottom. Many of us are proud to have been raised in State houses. I was raised in a State house as were many of my colleagues. We do not believe in pulling up the ladder behind us once we have got there. We do not trade on the fact that: “Oh I’m a nice little State house girl.” or “I’m a nice little State house boy” or “I’m going to look after those people in State houses.” but in reality then pull up the ladder behind us.” Of course unless one is trying to build them in one’s electorate—in Hobsonville as Mr Key says but meanwhile he lives in Parnell and how nice it would be to buy two sections— 
Hon Member 
: Six houses! 
JILL PETTIS 
: Six houses. And build one house and a tennis court! No we are fighters. We believe in sticking up for people who are not quite so well-equipped to get themselves into their own home. We know the importance of having a roof over our heads and the security that gives—a roof that we know we will have for 365 days of the year. 
National is all over the place on a whole range of issues. We have sat here for months and months waiting for just one policy. We have not had one yet. In the last week— 
Charles Chauvel 
: Except for the ones they stole from us. 
JILL PETTIS 
: Mr Chauvel is absolutely right. The National Party is not even sure whom it wants to lead it. It has been amusing to watch National members in the last couple of weeks in particular when they have been under a bit of stress. In fact we on this side of the Chamber are running a bit of a sweep because we are kind of enjoying what is going on on the other side. As I said we are fighters and we are running a sweep on how many times John Key looks up at the press gallery each day. The numbers are quite high already. 
Hon Member 
: Nearly as often as Don McKinnon. 
JILL PETTIS 
: Yes he looks up nearly as often as Don McKinnon used to. But we are running a sweep so in about a week’s time I suspect we will be able to make an announcement. Mr Key has spent so much time looking up that he will probably need to have a bit of chiropractic treatment soon. Quite why he is doing that I do not know. 
Also it was interesting to watch the reaction of National members today. I notice that Bill English gets up to speak only when John Key is away. It is a bit like “John’s away Bill will come out to play.” Why does Bill English not stand beside his leader and support him? Why does Bill English not stand up and support John Key? Why can those members not operate as a pair as a duo supporting each other? Why do they seem to come into their prime when one of them is out of the House? 
The other thing that concerns me about National is that its members have absolutely no knowledge of social history in this country. That is absolutely exemplified by the ham-fisted statements they have been making about housing in the last couple of weeks. Ignorance of social policy and social history in this country is incredibly dangerous for New Zealand because we need to make sure that we do not repeat the problems and the mistakes of the past. We have luminaries over there like that woman from—where is she from? Is it Timaru? She says profound things like: “We don’t need to borrow money; we’re just going to get it from overseas.” That is a direct quote from one of those supposedly bright sparks new blood intelligent young things the National Party has brought in. She demonstrates that she does not understand even the basic elements of finance when she says: “We don’t need to borrow money; we’re just going to get it from overseas.” I kid you not I say to listeners; all of that can be verified from what she said during the election campaign. 
New Zealanders need to be very very aware of what a National Government would actually mean for this country. It terrifies me.