Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Shearer David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 30 January 2013. Volume:687;Page:7593. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
2. 
DAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by all the statements made in his prime ministerial speeches and in his Address in Reply speeches? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes and in particular I stand by my statement in the 2011 Address in Reply debate that this Government has committed tens of millions of dollars to training places to make sure that we bring in the right skills that we give young New Zealanders the opportunities and that we encourage people to take up those opportunities. Just last week I announced an expanded and improved apprenticeship scheme called New Zealand Apprenticeships which will lead to around 14000 additional apprentices over the next 5 years. It was widely supported by the New Zealand public. No doubt Labour will oppose it. It opposes everything. 
David Shearer 
: In light of his statement from 2011 that his year is about “building a brighter future” for New Zealanders and their families does not the fact that unemployment has grown by 70000 from 4.5 percent to 7.3 percent—the largest in 13 years—show that he has failed? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No. This Government is building a brighter future. That is why crime is at a 30-year low that is why 65000 more people have a job that is why real after-tax wages have gone up 12 percent since September 2008 that is why we have had an average growth rate of 2 percent since the bottom of the recession and that is why the lowest mortgage rates are in place in 50 years. 
David Shearer 
: In light of his statement from 2012 that “In the world as it is today the state of the country’s finances is all-important.” does not the fact that New Zealand is projected by the IMF to have the worst current account deficit in the Western World show that he has failed? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No and if the member wants to understand the history of the Labour Party he should go back and look at Michael Cullen’s speeches and see how he campaigned on halving the current account deficit only to just go and double it. 
David Shearer 
: In light of his statement in 2010 that “The Government is committed to turning things around and in particular to closing the gap with Australia.” do not the facts that the wage gap has grown by more than $30 a week and record numbers of people are going to Australia show that his policies have failed? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No I do not agree with that at all. If we want to talk about failure it will be the fact that house prices doubled between 2001 and 2007 under a party that is out there crying wolf at the moment. 
David Shearer 
: Which of the 10 result areas he personally set was he referring to in his 2013 prime ministerial speech when he said that “some of them would not improve”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Well I would have to look at the context in which the member is reporting it because actually from what I can see all 10 of them are making progress. So if we want to talk about the one that sees 85 percent of young New Zealanders achieving National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2 under this Government yes it has gone up. If he wants to talk about the one about early childhood education participation— 
David Shearer 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I have not finished actually— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Point of order the Leader of the Opposition. 
David Shearer 
: Mr Speaker—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
David Shearer 
: Thank you Mr Speaker. That was a pretty straight question. It was referring to what he had already announced in his prime ministerial statement yesterday and it was about which of those areas would not improve—not the ones that would improve. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I do accept that is the question the Leader of the Opposition asked. The Prime Minister was answering it in his way where he was starting to go through them one at a time looking at which ones were improving. He might have got to some that might not improve but that was going to take too long. I accept the member’s concern but I think it is probably best to go on to a further supplementary question. 
David Shearer 
: In light of his statement that Hekia Parata is “one of the smoothest communicators” in his Government what did she mean when she said: “We are very keen to look at how we can get the whole of life journey of a learner opportunity operating”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Well I do not want to put words in the mouth of the Minister but I suspect she meant that we will actually do what this Government is doing and that is make sure that they get a decent education so that for the rest of their lives they actually have the potential to earn. And I say this to the member: if he wants to go and compare speeches off the cuff from Hekia Parata to himself he had better be careful because he is OK in front of an autocue—maybe 3— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! Order! That is not necessary to answer the question. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Tena koe Mr Speaker. Kia ora tatou. What is meant—[ 
Interruption 
]  
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: What is meant by his statement that “Our focus is on changing the circumstances that trap people in poverty”; and does he agree with the expert advisory group that the actions that will have the greatest impact on reducing child poverty will require significant new investment and enacting legislation that will measure and set short and long-term poverty reduction targets? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The Government is in the process of forming its response to the expert advisory group but what was meant by that statement was that it is quite clear that if we want to move people out of poverty we fundamentally need to give them the opportunity where possible that they can work and that means that they need the skills to be able to do that. That is why we are going to bring on 14000 new apprentices over the course of the next 4 or 5 years. That is why we are prepared to demand national standards. That is why we are prepared to look at things like Whanau Ora and have a different way of looking at those issues. This Government is prepared to invest in those issues despite the fact that these are economically very challenging times.