Collins Judith: General Debate 
Collins Judith: General Debate 
[Volume:629;Page:1813] 
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 I have just been recalling how and why the previous speaker Lianne Dalziel got sacked as a Minister. It was of course because she not only misled the media but also bullied a little 16-year-old girl who had been raped continuously by members of her family from the time she was 8 years old and that member is currently in court in a defamation proceeding from the lawyer she tried to pick on. That is why that member got sacked. How dare she lecture this House about women’s rights when she behaved as she did toward a little girl who had been raped for years! I say to her thanks very much—she has just reminded me why she is not worthy of the job. 
We have had a lot of fun today. We understand that the Government does not want to talk about policy because it does not really want to talk about the reviews. But there are—how many? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: 69. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: There are 69 reviews going on currently under this Government. That means there are 69 reviews going on instead of 69 decisions being made. The Government is so bereft of leadership that it cannot make a decision. It was extremely interesting today to be lectured on leadership by Ruth Dyson. What is she leader of? Can anyone remember? That is right—Child Youth and Family Services. 
Hon Bill English 
: The Labour left. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: Yes the Labour left within Child Youth and Family Services. That poor department—left to Ruth Dyson! That department is so bad so lacking in leadership that it now has to be merged with David Benson-Pope’s ministry. It is that bad! Ruth Dyson is a Minister who stood in the House and said that she actually agreed that the department was moving towards performance excellence. That is what she told this House—of course it is not only performance excellence; it is also a culture of excellence and at the same time it is a culture of resistance. She cannot have it both ways. That Minister Ruth Dyson was embarrassed yesterday. She was embarrassed by her own words and she was embarrassed by the fact that she did not want Child Youth and Family Services to merge with the Ministry of Social Development. She did not want to have to admit that her leadership was so slack and so pathetic that her department has to be merged with David Benson-Pope’s ministry. Yet she was caught out. 
She has now had a report come out which the Government did not want us to table yesterday—strangely enough even though it is its own report—and she said there— 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: It’s been tabled. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: No they did not want it tabled. They objected. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: It’s been tabled you idiot. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I take offence at the comment from that member the Hon Lianne Dalziel and I ask that you ask her to withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Members make disparaging remarks about each other all the time. It is a personal reflection that is out of order. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: As a personal reflection. 
Hon Mark Burton 
: With respect Mr Assistant Speaker I note that the member started her contribution with a list of such insults directed at the member— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Can I just say to members that points of order are to be heard in silence and they must be terse and to the point. 
Lindsay Tisch 
: Point of order— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am already dealing with a point of order Mr Tisch. I say to the Minister Mark Burton that he has made his point. 
Simon Power 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The difficulty that we get into with the comment that was made by the Minister is actually twofold. Firstly the term used would be considered to be unparliamentary and secondly the way in which it was phrased dragged you into the debate. On that basis the member should withdraw. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: I withdraw and apologise for bringing you into the debate Mr Assistant Speaker. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: No no—that is not good enough. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member must just stand withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: I get back to the real issues which are what has been going on in Child Youth and Family Services. Let us have a look at some of the reviews that have been going on. We have had the external review in 2000 with Youth Court judge Michael Brown. We had the 2003 baseline review and at the moment the new service progress report is due—that is for the Ministry of Social Development. It was due in February 2006 and what day is it today? Oh—it is March 2006. Of course that was formerly the sickness benefit and invalids benefit strategy. We also have in the Ministry of Social Development the full outcome evaluation of the new service model prototype due in June 2006. That will be a doozy. We have the Working for Families review the preliminary information due in July 2006 with another review at the end of this year. We have the value for money review. Well that will be helpful! That is called the “new comedy review”. We also have the Ministry of Social Development’s client debt strategy and debt establishment review project—bracket date to be advised bracket. Of course we know what that is all about. That is because there has been a huge blow-out in debt in the Ministry of Social Development’s clients. 
That is just a little sample of the reviews. But what is more important is this: who will do a review that actually asks what is in it for the kids of this country? Who will put our little kids first? Who will put the children in this country first—the children who are abused by people who should be looking after them and looking after their care? Who will do that? Only a National Government will. 
This Labour Government is so full of let us say review—that is all it can do. In the House I cannot use the word I want to use. This Government is absolutely full of hot air. Its members are always talking about things but never actually doing them. They cannot keep blaming the National Government. I heard Ruth Dyson yesterday blaming the National Party for the last year because we put the Department of Child Youth and Family Services under stress. No—what has put that department under stress is a hopeless Minister.