Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
[Volume:674;Page:20044] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) 
: 
 Before I address the substantive issue of my speech I want to cover one point in respect of Nick Smith and his comments about ACC. There is a very interesting way that one can save money in ACC and that of course is if one restricts the resource to folk. I make this point and I ask the Minister for ACC a question: how many constituents have walked into his Nelson office and told him that they cannot get an operation because ACC has told them that their operation is based on anatomical wear and tear but they are only 21 years old? Apparently someone can be 21 years old but the problem is wear and tear not an accident. So I say to those members opposite that if no one has gone into Nick Smith’s office—or David Carter’s office when he is around—then the fact is that they are all lining up at ours. We are seeing 21-year-olds who are saying: “Hang on; I’ve got wear and tear from old age and that’s why I’m not getting my operation. It’s not considered an accident.” But I will move on from the ghost who walks over there and resides near the hills somewhere in Canterbury. 
Let us deal with the thorny issue of asset sales which has been canvassed here today. We have heard the Minister of Finance talk yet again about mum and dad Kiwis being first in the queue. Then he was asked how he will guarantee that the shares will not be onsold to foreigners after mum and dad Kiwis sell their shares—as they have in the past because they are scratching for a bob—when somebody from foreign shores comes to them and says: “I’ll make you an offer you cannot refuse and buy your shares.” How will we prevent that from happening? Oh we are going to trust the people. Then he tries to construct a sort of elegant argument whereby if we do not trust the people then there is something wrong. Well of course we trust the people. We trust the people to do what is right for them in terms of looking after themselves and their families. If those lucky individuals who according to Bill English are awash with cash—he thinks there is cash everywhere in the household budget—whip down to the stockbroker and buy a share in the assets they already own which the Government in a benevolent way will offer them so they can buy them back again then I do not blame them. If there are mums and dads out there who have that cash I would not blame them if they bought those shares. If they were made an offer they could not refuse they would know they can make a few bob. So they would sell those shares and apply that money to the necessities of life for their families. I trust them to do what is in the best interests of themselves and their families. 
But the fact remains that no one on that side of the House from the Prime Minister to the Minister of Finance to any of those great geniuses who sit in Cabinet can tell us how they will prevent onselling how they will prevent foreign domination and how they will guarantee that mum and dad Kiwis will be first in the queue. Bill English read out a list from the Contact Energy share register—Origin Energy and a couple of other names I cannot recall—and he said: “Well we can’t tell what they are—mums and dads.” That is exactly the point. We cannot tell; we do not know. There was no mechanism to stop onsale or foreign domination—none. 
I ask members opposite about a real couple in my electorate whom Annette King and I met—and I have never seen a $36 a month power bill before—who earn $40000 a year and who are struggling to make ends meet. I had never seen a $36 a month power bill in my life until I went to this woman’s house. I asked her how she did it—and these people are scratching for it. I said: “How’s the tucker?”. She said: “My husband has two meals a day.” This was reported in the local rags. Oh members opposite are all quiet now. How many of those people have fronted up in Ms Wilkinson’s office when she is around or in David Carter’s office? That women and her husband are struggling. He has two meals a day. They have meat twice a week if they can afford sausages. The last time they went out for a bit of a do was down to the Kaiapoi Club 2 months ago to have one jug of beer between the two of them luxury souls that they are. I ask how that mum and dad will be awash with cash. The members over there think it is funny. David Carter thinks it is a real hoot. When was the last time that member had sausages? There are a few sausages on that side no doubt and a few meat patties ground away but I say that that member would not have bumped into that woman or her ilk in many many years. 
So how do those mum and dad Kiwis actually afford to whip down to the stock exchange and buy what they already own given that they are awash with cash? I say this: if a couple in New Zealand today are struggling to make ends meet and a husband and wife can afford only a couple of meals a day and they turn the lights out then we have a problem in this country. We have a problem in this country when a couple can turn on the hot-water cylinder for only 2 hours a day. We have a problem and the Government is it.