Robertson GrantGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. I do want to start before I get into the main part of what I want to say today by actually thanking you Mr Speaker for allowing the flying of a rainbow flag today outside. It is the first time in the history of this Parliament that that has occurred and it is a recognition of the celebrations that we will be having this evening in Parliament of the 30th anniversary of the passing of that important human rights measure. I can say that it means a lot to the LGBT community that you made that decision today and I thank you very much indeed for that. I also thank the MPs who are in Parliament still today who were here 30 years ago. I see my colleague Annette King is with me.Hon Members: Ha ha!GRANT ROBERTSON: Actually Annette King Trevor Mallard Phil Goff and Peter Dunne have a lot more to be proud of than some of the people who might want to laugh at somebody who has given 30 years' service to this Parliament and stood up to be counted at a time when it was not popular to do so. I say thank you to Annette King for doing that.It is interesting to get that reaction from the National Party members over there because at the conference in the weekend National Party members were told by John Key: Don't get arrogant." "Don't get arrogant" is what National Party members were told by John Key.Tracey Martin: Too late.GRANT ROBERTSON: Tracey Martin might be right to say "too late." Those members need to be a little careful because I will tell you what is arrogant. Arrogant is telling people who say that there is a housing crisis that they are being emotive. Arrogant is telling people who live in cars and garages that it is a figment of their imagination that the housing crisis has got worse. Arrogant is Anne Tolley telling people that people living in cars is nothing new and there is nothing to be worried about here. Arrogant is Bill English calling the housing crisis "a pressure". That is arrogant. But then they have got a good teacher when it comes to the Prime Minister. He is the person who said earlier this year: "Look we are very accessible and that includes being out in the community pretty much every day. That also makes sure that I'm out there. If I go to the Koru Lounge for instance I don't just sit away in a corner."—Thank goodness for that.—"I stand out in the middle"—by the buffet presumably—"[and] people come up to me from all walks of life ...". The only people coming up to him from all walks of life in the middle of the Koru Lounge are the people refilling the buffet. I am going to judge that the Prime Minister does not actually stop and talk to them. So if they want a teacher about getting arrogant they just have to look up at the leader in front of them.We have seen that today because John Key refuses to call this housing crisis what it is. It is a crisis because in New Zealand we have prided ourselves on the idea that the Kiwi Dream of buying your own home is within reach of all New Zealanders. It is within reach of the people who get up in the morning and go to not well-paid jobs but good jobs and important jobs. They are jobs like being a school secretary or a bus driver or a security guard or a nurse. The combinations of those people should be able to work hard together and earn enough money to buy a house and stay and live in their community—and that is not happening. That is what is slipping away. What is arrogant is a Government that says that does not matter any more. Well it matters to me. It matters to me not just because growing up in a warm dry safe stable home is good for somebody's health but it means that they get to school and they achieve. One of the worst statistics from Te Puea Marae was the fact that many of the children staying at that marae this year had not had a day at school. That is because they are transitory; they are moving around. It is about the security that those people have but it is about the kinds of communities we want.Homeownership is the core of the stable communities that people like you Mr Speaker and I grew up in—where we knew our neighbours where we all got together and played in the same sports teams and went to the same school; and everybody had the chance to live out their version of the Kiwi Dream. That is what goes missing when homeownership falls. That is what goes missing when homelessness grows. We have to solve this housing crisis. The first step is recognising the problem. The second step is a plan that deals with building houses that deals right away with giving a roof over their head to the people who do not have a roof over their head. It deals fundamentally with the demand side. The Labour Party has a plan and on Sunday New Zealanders will see finally a party that takes this seriously rather than one that regards it as a joke."