Goff Phil: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
Goff Phil: Adjournment — Sittings of the House 
[Volume:644;Page:14070] 
Hon PHIL GOFF (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 As we adjourn for 2007 I join with others in acknowledging the staff who work around this building; our ministerial staff who are incredibly hard-working and loyal; our electorate staff who work so hard on our behalf around the country; and indeed all of those who work in the Government area. I think overwhelmingly we are very well served by the integrity of our civil servants and the way that they perform their responsibilities. I attribute to them and to our system of governance the fact that this small country is first equal for enjoying the least corrupt system in the world. I travel widely and I have learnt to appreciate the integrity of the system that we have. I attribute to them also the fact that the World Bank regards New Zealand as one of the two top countries in the world for ease of doing business and that is something else that we should celebrate. 
In terms of my portfolio areas I acknowledge the New Zealand Defence Force personnel and particularly the more than 400 men and women in the Defence Force who will spend their Christmas representing our country overseas in some harsh and difficult environments. I pay tribute to the professionalism of those people. For my new portfolio I acknowledge the work of the Department of Corrections staff. It makes me feel very bad that too often our staff on the ground—within our prisons and working in the probation service outside of our prisons—bear the brunt of criticism from people who are too often ill-informed. The staff work with others whom most New Zealanders would not want to have any relationship with whatsoever and they do their jobs well. I hope that all of those people have some time off over Christmas to enjoy with their families and friends. 
Secondly I would like to reflect on some things that are really good about the country that we live in and where we have come from. Too often it is so easy to put New Zealand down to say that Australia is better or somewhere else is better. There are things that have happened in this country during the last 8 years of which I am really proud. I am proud of the fact that we have secured a rate of economic growth that is higher on average than that of other OECD countries. I am proud of the fact that that period has been the longest sustained period of economic improvement in more than 30 years. I am particularly pleased that that is reflected in the area of employment. The creation of more than a third of a million jobs is really important to New Zealand economically and socially. Our unemployment is down to the lowest level in 28 years at 3.5 percent. 
I remind Bill English what he told us in a press statement in October 1999: “Labour’s claim that it can bring the unemployment rate down to 3 % is also a hoax on all the people who think if they voted Labour they would get a job.” I say to Bill that he was wrong. He should swallow those words. He should acknowledge that it is fantastic that the number of people registered as unemployed in New Zealand is down from 161000 at the end of 1999 to just 21000 now. That is a brilliant achievement. 
I also acknowledge what has been happening for families. Those of us here who are fortunate enough to have families know that there are great rewards in having families and also big costs in a whole lot of ways but one of the costs is the sheer economic cost—the cost of raising children. When we sit around this House and say that things are a bit tough and we would like to do such-and-such but we cannot afford it we should think of those families on modest incomes that are trying to do their best by their kids and to bring them up in an environment in which they can achieve their potential. 
I give personal credit to Michael Cullen for Working for Families. The fact that a family on $35000 a year a pretty modest income gets $199 in its pocket each week to help it with the task of raising its kids is just tremendous. No tax cut could ever deliver that if it were delivered in an orthodox way. Even a family on $62000—coming up to the middle-income area—gets $91 a week and that sort of help is really important in meeting the cost of raising kids. Working for Families has made a real difference for the battlers the people who struggle for their existence in this country. 
I also acknowledge the other things that have happened to those struggling families. We have halved the cost of going to a doctor. It is terrible to think that families out there could not afford to take their kids to the doctor and that therefore whatever they were suffering from—in terms of illness—got worse. Often now people are paying $3 for a prescription item and that gives people across the board access to health which is so important. 
I think of the people with preschool children and the attacks on the 20 hours’ free preschool education. Now I see that 83 percent of New Zealand preschool kids are covered by those 20 hours a week and I say to Steve Maharey: “You were right Steve. Your opponents were wrong. Congratulations on what you have achieved.” 
I think of the old people and I think of my parents who are in that bracket. They are now on 66 percent of the average wage with superannuation rather than 60 percent—a promise delivered and a difference made in the lifestyle and in the standards of living of those families. Those elderly folk were bitterly cynical about politics after the 1990s. They were let down at the start of the 1990s—“No ifs no buts or maybes” a promise broken. They were let down again in 1999 when Bill English cut the rate of superannuation yet again. Now they have the dignity of growing old with a reasonable income having been restored to them. That is a fine thing. 
But if I look at what deserves the award this year for progressive policy it has to be KiwiSaver. Everybody in this House is in a superannuation scheme—and good luck to us; we get a good return on it—but so many hundreds of thousands of families out there never had that opportunity. In just 5 months 316000 New Zealanders joined KiwiSaver. It was great for them for homeownership great for them for saving for their retirement great for New Zealand because we need to save more and great for New Zealand because New Zealanders by saving are retaining ownership of their own country. For all of those reasons we should applaud the KiwiSaver scheme and in the true spirit of Christmas bipartisanship I urge the National Party to come clean and support the scheme. 
So much else is happening that I do not want to talk a lot about the Electoral Finance Bill other than to say that a decent democracy is not a democracy if votes can be manipulated by the spending of millions of dollars by secret groups representing narrow sectoral vested interests. I do not have to mention  
The Hollow Men 
. I do not have to make the accusations. Members have read the book. National members were in the caucus. They know what happened. And they know why that was done. 
Finally on leadership I say that I think Colin James got it right about Helen Clark when he said that “she does an outstanding job abroad” “she is always formidably well briefed” “she is everywhere tirelessly” “she is amazingly accessible to journalists” “she navigates by a clear value-set” and “she has got some regeneration in her party”. I applaud Helen Clark for 8 years of excellent leadership and my caucus and Cabinet colleagues for joining in that leadership and taking this country forward. 
One thing I have to say at the end of 2007 that is rather sad for me personally is that I lost my nephew 4 weeks ago. He was killed in fighting in Afghanistan. We have battles in this House and I enjoy them. I never make it personal—at least I hope I do not. This is a place where we should have fiery arguments over policy. But I say to all of my colleagues in this House how deeply I appreciate their expressions of condolence and support over the loss of that young man who was so important to me and my family. I really do appreciate that. 
I wish everybody in this House a happy Christmas peaceful New Year and some well-deserved time with their families. Thank you.