Goff Phil: General Debate 
Goff Phil: General Debate 
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Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of miscellaneous business 
. For 3 years this National Government has been saying that maintaining New Zealand’s credit rating has been the mark of its economic success. How many times did John Key tell the country about the dire consequences of a credit rating downgrade? He threatened the country that this would lead to a 1.5 percent rise in home mortgage interest rates. Do members know what that would mean for a family with a mortgage of $300000? It would be another $90 a week. Then he promised that if we downgraded—[ 
Interruption 
] 
A disturbance took place in the gallery and a member of the public was removed.  
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Members will take their seats please. I say a big thankyou to the security guard. Would the Serjeant-at-Arms please be involved and ensure that things return to normal. Thank you Serjeant. Members may resume their seats. [ 
Interruption 
] I am on my feet. We have had enough interruption in the Chamber. The member of the public has been removed. Therefore I call the Hon Phil Goff who will commence his speech again. Thank you. 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: Mr Speaker—[ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Remember honourable members when we point one finger at someone else we often have three pointing at ourselves. 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: Can I acknowledge the work done by security in preventing that sad incident and say that it is even sadder that the Prime Minister would have tried to blame that on the Labour Opposition. I think that is an absolute disgrace. [ 
Interruption 
] 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am on my feet. [ 
Interruption 
] I am on my feet. [ 
Interruption 
] I am on my feet. The practice of members engaging in heckling and a constant barrage of interjections is entirely intolerable in a debating chamber. This is not a public house. This is Parliament. Let us show some respect for each other. Courtesy is contagious and we will all benefit if we abide by the Standing Orders and Speakers’ rulings. 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: For many years this Government has been saying that maintaining the credit rating— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Say goodbye. 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: It is not a lie I say to Mr Henare; it is what the Prime Minister actually said across the floor of the House and he should have withdrawn and apologised for that. What we have seen is two major credit rating agencies—[ 
Interruption 
] It was an appalling remark by the Prime Minister and the ongoing barrage from the Government backbenches does not help that situation. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Would members leaving the Chamber please show some restraint and allow the speaker the Hon Phil Goff to proceed with his speech. Courtesy is contagious. 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: The downgrading of the credit rating of New Zealand—which blindsided the Government—by two credit rating agencies last Friday is a reflection by those credit rating agencies that they lack confidence in the economic management of this country. 
Hon Members 
: Shame! 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: It is a shame. I hope that the election campaign will be conducted with a little more dignity than the Prime Minister showed in the Chamber earlier today. The truth of that credit rating downgrade is that it will hurt New Zealanders. It will add to the mortgage interest rates faced by home purchasers. It will add to the cost on all of us as Kiwi taxpayers for what we are paying for the increasing level of Government debt. 
That increasing level of debt led Standard and Poor’s to that downgrading because we have moved from a situation where the Government account was in surplus to a situation where the deficit on the Government account is now 30 percent. We have moved from a situation where this country was actually starting to engage in the process of saving through KiwiSaver and through the Cullen superannuation fund which would have enabled us to meet the demands and the costs of an ageing population. But National cut KiwiSaver after it had promised the country before the election that it would not do so. This Government has failed to invest in the Cullen superannuation fund though its well-being today depends on the return that we are getting on that superannuation fund which it has now undermined. 
I remember the Budget and I remember John Key saying: “Phil Goff might not like this Budget but Standard and Poor’s does.” 
Hon Members 
: Ah! 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: Standard and Poor’s does! Well clearly it does not. For the first time in 13 years this country has suffered a credit rating downgrade. That has happened for the first time in 13 years and that comes 3 years into the term of this National Government. This National Government has no one but itself to blame for that situation. 
You know it is just not good enough as John Key advised that we would muddle through our economic problems. Muddling through is not good enough. It is not good enough when our economy has stalled—0.1 percent growth in the last quarter—when John Key said that we should be having aggressive recovery from recession. It is not good enough that the gap with Australia is growing. I say to Mr Power that if it is not growing why is it that 100000 New Zealanders—100000 New Zealanders—have left this country permanently for Australia under John Key’s watch? Those 100000 people have voted with their feet. 
It is not good enough that inflation is at the highest rate in 21 years. At lunchtime today we saw the workers who clean our building and they are on nearly the minimum wage. They are on just over $13.50 an hour. A lady there Jaine talked of her dream of being able to properly care for her kids and grandkids. It was a dream that she cannot realise despite the fact that each night she cleans the Prime Minister’s office. It is wrong that in this country people should be struggling—struggling—to put food on the table for their kids when they are working a full working week. 
Every New Zealander deserves a living wage and Labour will provide a living wage with a $15 minimum wage rate. Instead of cutting the taxes on the wealthy—giving the top 150 wealthy people including the Prime Minister an extra $1000 a week in tax cuts—we will use a capital gains tax to apply a tax on those who pay no tax on their income so that all New Zealanders can get their first $5000 free of income tax. For those families I met today that will mean another $1000 a year in their pockets so that they can feed their kids healthy food. Cutting the GST on fresh fruit and vegetables by 15 percent will help them make that choice as well. The choice at this election is very clear.