Smith Nick: General Debate 
Smith Nick: General Debate 
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Hon Dr NICK SMITH (National—Nelson) 
: 
 We know that the Labour Government is in serious trouble when hit man Trevor Mallard is lined up to defend the case. The part I enjoyed the most about his speech was when he accused National of wanting to close schools. He is the man who rushed around New Zealand closing schools all over the country. He was rolled by his colleagues and now he is in a pickle on so many fronts that he is one of the most discredited members of the Government. Furthermore it is interesting that he did not want to speak at all in defence of his Government’s record. He wanted to have a debate about tax. Members on this side of the House welcome the debate on tax. Bring it on! Labour members know that even two-thirds of their own supporters support tax cuts for workers. They know that ordinary New Zealanders are looking forward to a change of Government so that they can keep more of their hard-earned money. 
But the problem for this Government is that it is rotten to the core. Government members have gone beyond even being upfront and honest. They are running scared. This afternoon there was a protest by 800 apple growers. They chanted: “Where’s Jim? Where’s Jim?”. Not even the Associate Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor who happens to represent the vast bulk of apple growers in my area fronted up because— 
Darren Hughes 
: There was a fire in his electorate you fool. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: Well Helen Clark said that it was more important to meet with the sheep than it was to meet with ordinary New Zealanders. That is how far out of touch this Government is and how much it is running away from ordinary New Zealanders. Jim Sutton could not be bothered Helen Clark could not be bothered and Damien O’Connor could not be bothered. It is no wonder New Zealanders will not be bothered with them when polling day comes. 
Then we had the disgraceful— 
Darren Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. During question time the Hon Phil Goff pointed out that Jim Sutton had previous commitments. Damien O’Connor is currently on the West Coast. There has been a terrible fire in a Fonterra factory which affects the agricultural part of his electorate. It is quite out of order for the member to behave in that way when he knows that the member is representing his electorate. What a disgrace! 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: That is not a point of order. I refer members to the Speakers’ rulings about referring to the absence of members or otherwise. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was very careful in my choice of words. I said that they had not attended the apple protest. That is completely within the Standing Orders. The point of order raised by Mr Hughes was completely out of order. I seek that my time start again. It is only a 5-minute speech. Speakers have been very strict in the general debate about members raising nonsense points of order which that was and I seek to have my complete speech. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Members on this side of the House have no objection to the time taken for this point of order being added on to the member’s speech. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Is the member seeking the leave of the House? 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I seek leave if that is necessary. I had thought it was at your discretion not to take the time for this interruption out of the member’s speech. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Yes it will be added on. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I have already ruled on the point of order. 
Ron Mark 
: I know that you have Mr Assistant Speaker but this is a fresh point of order. I ask you to clarify this matter for the House. You have reminded us that it is improper and contrary to the Standing Orders for members to refer to the absence of a member from the House but you did not speak at all to the junior Government whip who stood up and proceeded to tell the House and the whole of the nation precisely where every absent Labour Minister was today. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Yes I did. I told the member that he was out of order. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: So desperate has this Government become in trying to protect itself from the raft of scandals that if it is not messing up school examinations if it is not sending cabs when it should have been sending cops if it is not—[ 
Interruption 
] Mark Burton pipes up. Perhaps Mark Burton who says there is no room for tax cuts might be able to explain to New Zealanders how he has been part of a billion-dollar bungle over the Kyoto Protocol. He told the people of New Zealand that we were signing up to Kyoto so that we could take hundreds of millions of dollars. The Prime Minister said it and Pete Hodgson said it. Are we surprised that Pete Hodgson has not been debating these issues this week? He has disappeared overseas which is standard Government procedure but it is all said in that piece by Colin James in the  
New Zealand Herald  
this week. 
The wheels are falling off the Government on every side. We were used to George Hawkins making a mess of things and Lianne Dalziel but Trevor Mallard has been grossly discredited Michael Cullen’s tax-cutting Budget was a disaster and we even have Jim Sutton now on the ropes in terms of issues like apples. It is no coincidence that both today and tomorrow protests have been planned on the steps of Parliament by absolute key constituencies that Labour has abandoned. Labour has abandoned those constituencies. Labour has lost their support. It is on the way out. It is a decaying rotten Government that is bereft of ideas and the time is coming when it will be put out of its misery. New Zealanders are looking for a fresh change. They want to know that there will be a Government that believes in them spending their hard-earned money not the Labour Party. It will be a Government that is upfront and honest. 
Hon Judith Tizard 
: We’re first. 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: There will not be the skulduggery that we have seen from members like Judith Tizard. Judith Tizard is the member who said that changes to the Resource Management Act like direct referral to the Environment Court were evil and dangerous. That is what Judith Tizard said and now the Government is in such a panic it has adopted those measures. The sooner this Government goes the better.