Gallagher Martin: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Gallagher Martin: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:645;Page:14239] 
MARTIN GALLAGHER (Labour—Hamilton West) 
: 
 I listened with interest to the previous speaker Dr Richard Worth and I have to say that he is a very positive member of this House—a very positive person. I think in his heart of hearts he was probably quite sad that he had to deliver perhaps a somewhat negative pessimistic view of a country that I know in his heart of hearts he really loves. I know in his heart of hearts he will acknowledge that New Zealand is a wonderful place a wonderful country and we in this country are doing so well. I think in their heart of hearts some of the more loyal patriotic members of the Opposition give their contributions with a very heavy heart. In their heart of hearts they know of course how wonderfully this nation is doing and in their heart of hearts it is very sad that they seem to have to sell down this country. 
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge two events that have happened in the last 24 hours and certainly the valedictory earlier today of the Hon Brian Donnelly. I want to along with others pay great tribute to his wonderful contribution to this Parliament. He is a man of real integrity. I was listening to an interview on  
Morning Report 
 between the Rt Hon Winston Peters and a journalist—I think it was Sean Plunket. Sean Plunket was implying that the Cook Islands appointment was something of a “job for the boys”. With respect to the well-respected  
Morning Report 
 reporter Sean Plunket I have to say that I totally disagree with that. 
In fact a few years ago I went on an official visit to the Cook Islands and Samoa with the Hon Phil Goff who was then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Brian Donnelly. Marie Hasler from west Auckland along with other members also went with us. The story is great and is simply this: I had not fully appreciated the Hon Brian Donnelly’s connection to the Cook Islands until I went there. Basically people in the Cook Islands were saying: “Who are these other people with Brian Donnelly?” With no disrespect to my good friend and colleague the Hon Phil Goff the person who had the highest profile at any event and the person they were literally flocking around was Brian Donnelly. 
I did not realise it but Brian Donnelly and the Cook Islands are interrelated and synonymous and it was certainly a privilege to go to the smaller island of Mitiaro where one of his adopted children came from. It was an absolute welcome; it was an incredible homecoming. I think this is a case where in point of fact a person such as Brian Donnelly will make an excellent contribution for this country and it is no soft touch; we all know that all Pacific Island nations—the whole region—demand a renewed focus from this country. I also want to say for example that we had another very successful so-called political appointment in terms of the Hon Sandra Lee to Niue. These appointments do not underestimate the strategic importance of these particular island nations to our country small as they may be and the need for us to have a renewed clear focus. Personally I think the Hon Brian Donnelly will do very well. 
The other person I want to pay tribute to and many people have paid tribute to her today is Katherine Rich. She can be truly proud of the contribution she has made to this Parliament in the years she has been here. I appreciate that it is probably easy for me to say this because on some of the positions she took clearly I personally agreed with her so it is easier to pay tribute to her strong moral compass her courage and her integrity—I accept that. In saying that I respect the moral compass and integrity of those who take an opposing point of view. What I admired the most was that when she was very clearly isolated amongst some of her colleagues on a particular issue she stood respectfully and steadfastly to that point of view and she quietly held to it and lasted the distance. I am not criticising her other colleagues who sincerely held other views. 
I think Katherine Rich will be a loss and I know that tonight her family and her extended family in Dunedin and elsewhere must be very very proud of their mother wife and daughter and of the contribution that she has made to this Parliament. We all wish her well and I think she will continue to serve our country in different ways in the future. She is one of those rare members of Parliament if you like who is admired across the House. Brian Donnelly is another good example of that. They have both announced their retirements today but they are very clearly liked by all sections of the House. 
I obviously want to pay tribute to the Prime Minister’s statement and I am very very proud to be a New Zealander at this time. The Prime Minister in her delivery yesterday gave us some very salient and important facts. It is a fact that Labour goes into this year knowing that we have led the economy through its longest run of economic growth since the Second World War. It is a fact that the economy is one-third larger than it was when we were elected. It is a fact that 377000 more jobs are in the economy. It is a fact that unemployment hit a new low of 3.4 percent in the December quarter—the lowest level since the household labour force survey began 20 years ago. It is a fact that the labour force participation rate is the highest ever recorded in the survey. It is a fact that total working-age benefit numbers are down by almost 140000 on the numbers we inherited from the previous Government. These are facts. 
As the member of Parliament for Hamilton West and as one of the members representing the Waikato region I have to report what is very obvious: my city in my region is on a roll. It is doing exceptionally and incredibly well. Indeed just a few statistics in terms of unemployment levels are an indicator of economic activity and well-being. In September 1999 the unemployment rate was 7.3 percent. In September 2007 that went down to 3.2 percent—need I go on? In respect of benefit numbers we have gone from 15000 down to 11000 in 2007. The number of State houses has gone from 3300 up to just under 4000. The total school operations grant funding has gone from $50 million to $74 million - plus—a real increase of 46 percent. Do I need to go on? My city economically is on a roll. 
These are examples I think of some very very positive things that have obviously happened under this Government. In the time I have left I will briefly pay a tribute to a really good project in our city. Our city has initiated a major pilot of a new 40-kilometre-per-hour speed restriction around 18 Hamilton schools. I want to say that I Sue Moroney and Dianne Yates working very closely with the Hamilton City Council lobbied the Minister of Transport very hard to get this programme in the city of Hamilton. I really want to pay tribute to that project tonight. We now have safer speed restrictions around our schools. I use this opportunity in Parliament tonight in terms of the really good work that my colleague Harry Duynhoven has done in road safety to say that this is an area of great importance to us all—that is the safety of our young children and young students returning to school. This is a really great programme and indeed we have seen very good improvements in driver behaviour as a result of these speed limits. That is an example of the day-to-day practical examples of Government and positive initiatives that come out of the Ministry of Transport and that come from the city council under Mayor Bob Simcock who is very pleased with this scheme. Bob will be known to a number of people on the other side of the House. I also refer to councillors Dave Macpherson John Gower and others who in my view have done exceptionally well. 
Need we go on? We can talk about the Prime Minister’s announcement in terms of making sure that every young person leaves school with some qualification and does not go out like flotsam and jetsam as in the 1990s when they were just left. Every young person will exit from school into some sort of job qualification or role. These are good examples. Modern Apprenticeships is another really positive example of the wonderful things that are happening in our country today.