Blue Jackie: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Blue Jackie: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 07 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6374. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr JACKIE BLUE (National) 
: 
 Those final comments from Iain Lees-Galloway were incredibly wrong. I am just so proud to be part of a National-led Government that is not getting distracted by sideshows like the leadership struggles in the Opposition or an invented manufacturing crisis. We are just getting on with the job—straight and true on with the job. 
Integral with getting on with the job is getting our economy back on track and we are doing that exactly. My admiration goes to Bill English as the Minister of Finance for doing just that. I just cannot think of another Minister of Finance who has had the same set of problems that he has dealt with to get our economy back on track. We are doing just that. It is getting back on track no doubt about it. 
In 2008 we inherited a rate of unemployment that had risen by almost 30000. It was predicted that unemployment would go to 10 percent but in actual fact we stopped it and it has stayed at around 6.8 percent. We know that it should be lower—it is still on the high side and we are not happy about that—but it is forecast to drop and that is pleasing. It is certainly a lot better than it is in some underdeveloped countries—it certainly is. 
We have helped New Zealanders by growing the after-tax wage by 20 percent. That is more than double the rate of inflation. Personal income tax cuts across the board mean that the average family gains $25 per week. Three-quarters of income earners pay no more than 17.5 percent tax. We have one of the lowest inflation rates since 1999 and that means that the cost of living is increasing at the slowest rate in 12 years. That can only help families. Interest rates are at their lowest in 45 years—that is unbelievable. So a family with a mortgage of $200000 is saving about $200 a week—that is massive. That is huge compared with say 4 years ago. A $200-a-week saving compared with 4 years ago is a massive help to that family. All rates of superannuation have increased since 2008. The married rate of superannuation has gone up by almost $200 which is 22 percent higher than in April 2008. New Zealanders are saving more. There are positive household savings rates for the first time in a decade. We have adjusted Working for Families payments by 5 percent from 1 April this year. 
Creating high-paying jobs is one of the Government’s top priorities. We know that when businesses feel confident when they succeed and want to invest and expand jobs will open up. It is not rocket science; it is that simple. When businesses have the confidence jobs will follow. That is why the National Government is putting in the right levers to business—so it can grow have that confidence increase its workforce and compete successfully internationally. It is happening. 
As a country we are on the move. Our economy is growing and it is forecast to keep on growing. Despite the toughest of times—the global financial crisis the recession and the Christchurch earthquakes—we are on track. Real jobs are being created. The household labour force survey shows that almost 60000 more Kiwis have jobs now than 2 years ago. More than 13000 jobs were created by the 90-day trial for new employees. That is a fantastic initiative brought through by the former Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson. I have welcomed that wholeheartedly. It is a great policy for women who are returning to the workforce. It is a great policy for youth and for migrants who do not have the work record but want that first step into the workforce. It is a fantastic policy and it is here to stay. 
I work in an electorate where there is a high number of migrants and refugees. Having a job is the quickest way to integrate into a new society. We know that having a job is good on so many levels. It is good for a person’s well-being self-respect and health. It is good for families. It is good for children to have parents in work. That is why I applaud the Government’s focus on creating jobs. We hear about lay-offs but not actually about the jobs being created so I will just run through a few statistics. There are 1000 new jobs on the Waterview motorway and in my own electorate around the corner a new Warehouse is opening up and it will open up several hundred jobs. 
Dr David Clark 
: How about the prisons? Building prisons. 
Dr JACKIE BLUE 
: There are 1000 new jobs at Wiri Prison. Thank you for reminding me—1000 new jobs at Wiri Prison. That is great for Auckland. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.