Pillay Lynne: General Debate 
Pillay Lynne: General Debate 
[Volume:647;Page:16693] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 That last speech from Chester Borrows was absolutely appalling. We all know that over— 
Chester Borrows 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I take issue with the previous member for Whanganui who has asserted across the House that I tell lies. I take offence at that and I ask that she be asked to withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I say to the member on my right that “lie” is a mode of expression that has been ruled out of order on many occasions. There are many other ways of making the point that a member believes something to be incorrect. The member will stand and withdraw. 
Jill Pettis 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It might be better if the member was also asked to resume the seat that she is rightfully allocated in the House which is at the rear of the House. For her to move forward like this particularly with her capacity to interject I think is a rather awkward thing. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I thank the member but the member is fulfilling the obligations of a whip. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: As I said before the previous speech was appalling and although I would not use the term “telling lies” I would say that there was gross exaggeration and certainly a lot of confusion in the speech. I think that the member should take some advice from Kate Wilkinson because Kate Wilkinson is the one person in the National Party who tells it the way it is. She is the one person who talks about National’s policy and she is the one person who tells it the way it is. If the member took a little leaf out of her book then things might be a little bit clearer. 
The last 2 weeks have been very sad—they have been tragic. I express my sympathy in this House to the families and friends and to all the communities affected by these tragedies. For them life will never ever be the same and I know that this issue is something that affects all New Zealanders. Any one violent episode in New Zealand is one too many. 
Our crime statistics are down and our resolution rates of crime are increasing but the sad fact is that violent crime is on the rise globally. Every country in the world is grappling with this issue. My relatives have just come back from South Africa. Although I would in no way downplay the tragedy of the recent mindless acts of violence in New Zealand I just want to take a minute to compare New Zealand with South Africa where there are gated communities and so much violence at such a high level that it is not even reported. No one walks on the streets alone and fears in those communities are rife. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: So what? This is New Zealand not South Africa. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: I will respond to that member but I would say first that New Zealand is a small nation. Every senseless act of violence whether it be against an adult a business member or a child is reported. It is reported and it is felt by the community and it is felt by all New Zealanders. We feel the tragedy the anger and the outrage. It is our problem in New Zealand because we are a small community. 
But what I think is most offensive is the dog-whistle politics that we hear from the National Party—that it thinks to capitalise on this grief and this anxiety and to wind it up and blame the Government and say it is the Government’s fault. The Government is absolutely prepared to play its role in our communities with all of our agencies and with all New Zealanders to do as much as it can to fix this problem. We have already been bringing the police together with other agencies. That has been happening for many many years. We have many initiatives to bust the P labs to shut down gangs and to bring in tougher sentences. We are starting work on initiatives to support families. We have Working for Families 4 weeks’ holiday job opportunities and income-related rents. All of those things give families some support. 
I ask this House what our society would be like if the previous National Government were still in power. What would our crime statistics be like with market rents? What would they be like with a minimum wage of $7 an hour? I ask National members what our communities would be like without job opportunities without apprenticeships and with rocketing health costs. I ask what our communities would be like then. I would ask National members that question. 
The people who create these crimes are scumbags and what they do is really really low. They are horrible horrible people. The one thing that Judith Collins said that I agreed with was that the majority of people in our communities are good people. Yes we have scumbags—horrible people who do horrible things—but that is a problem of our communities and our nation and it is a problem we have to solve together. 
I know what it would be like under a National Government. When National was last in Government it cut the police budget by $31 million and it had planned to make cuts of another $24 million in 2001 if it had still been in power.