Cunliffe David: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCunliffe David: General Debate[Sitting date: 18 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13468. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Leader of the Opposition): It is very very interesting when the balloon rises to hear from Gerry Brownlee counting references to his good self in my colleague’s speeches just to ensure that he is being given the appropriate weighting. Where is the National front bench? He may be big but he is not that big.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You know that it is not appropriate to mention members’ absences from the House but it should come as no surprise that when that member is on a speech no one is here.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The last part did not help the Minister himself. The member knows full well that that is not appropriate but I am not saying that he did. He knows the rules and he will act responsibly.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: Thank you Mr Speaker—Mr SPEAKER: I apologise to the member. We have a point of order from the Rt Hon Winston Peters.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The fact of the matter is that Mr Cunliffe did not offend the rules of this House—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the member resume his seat. [Interruption] Would the member resume his seat. That is exactly what I said when I responded to the point of order. The member was quite within his rights in the way that he referred to “Where isthe front bench?”. The member should listen before he rises to his feet. Would the Hon David Cunliffe please start his speech again.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: Thank you Mr Speaker. Well look—Labour is off and running. We have declared that the election campaign has started now and the National Party is rising to the occasion. Look at those members—such a bundle of energy!Hon Member: That’s their A-team.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: That is the A-team. If the cap fits wear it. We are ready to run because this is actually a very serious debate between a Labour Party that is revved up and ready to go to protect jobs grow the pie and close the gaps. And on that side what have we got? Good old-fashioned crony capitalism.In the last week we have seen handouts to RioTinto over the top of Treasury advice personally orchestrated by the Prime Minister. We have seenSkycity where the Government has mortgaged proper process in order to protect a casino and problem gambling is on the rise. We have seen the second-biggest corporate bailout in New Zealand history with the Chorus deal at $600 million. Those members cannot have it both ways. Either they got it terribly terribly wrong and Kiwis are not hooking up to their ultra-fast broadband or they have just done another sleazy deal for their mates. The one that cops it for me is snapper. Something so humble as the mighty snapper reveals what this National Government is all about. Hail-fellow-well-met has been laundered into good-fellow-well-kept.This is not a Government focused on building a strong economy that works for Kiwi families; this is a Government focused on feathering the nests of its own big-business backers—shame! And there is Minister Bridges the helium balloon with the perpetual grin flying too high to the sun. How long will it take for the balloon to pop? He has never seen a province he could not drill. Well we are going to take the smile off his face and what about the smiling faces behind and beside him? You know I think they must be reflecting on the Government’s economic credibility. That is why they are so happy. They are reflecting on the fact that in 4 years they have never run a surplus. How many? Zero. How many deficits under Labour? None—nine straight Budget surpluses. National—four straight deficits.Here is another fact they do not like to admit. In the last 30 years economic growth and job growth have been higher under Labour Governments than under National Governments. Labour is the party to manage the economy. Around and beside me—with much more yet to be announced; there is more good news—let me draw attention to the Hon Shane Jones. He has better business networks than the entire National front bench. There is the proudly pointy-headed David Parker—Hon David Parker: Thank you.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: —thank you—who knows more numbers than Bill English has had hot lunches right? And Grant Robertson is at the front of the scrum handing it out to those guys with Clayton Cosgrove Annette King and Jacinda Ardern in support. No wonder they are looking forward to the fight. No wonder they are all here brimming with enthusiasm.This is a Government that looks like a third-term Government in its second term. This is a Government on its way out. And we are a Government on the way in which is why from next week there will be a shadow Cabinet and soon a new Cabinet. Thank you.