Robson Matt: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Robson Matt: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:615;Page:10856] 
Hon MATT ROBSON (Deputy Leader—Progressive) 
: 
 There have been two contrasting speeches today—that given by the Prime Minister and that given by the Leader of the Opposition. I presume that the speech by the Leader of the Opposition is to set the tone for all the conservative parties on the other side of the House—barring of course the Green Party. The speech of the Prime Minister was positive and focused on what is being done in New Zealand. In particular it focused on progress that the Government is making in its partnership approach. The public sector is working in every region alongside the private sector and community groups. That is positive. The record of investment in education so that skills are developed to meet the needs of industry was outlined and we were given a clear steer on the type of social policies that will progressively see less discrimination and more involvement by all our communities in New Zealand. 
In foreign policy it was good to see a commitment to the continued development of New Zealand having a sovereign foreign policy. When we look at what is happening in Iraq now we can be pleased that the Government set a strong line and refused to take part in the lies of the Bush administration and the Blair administration of Great Britain which undermined international law. On the other side of the House when the illegal invasion of Iraq was mooted the National Party and ACT were at the forefront baying for New Zealand to have its decisions made in Washington and London. We have kept a sovereign foreign policy. 
So the speech of the Prime Minister was positive was focused on the real problems of New Zealand and did not fail to point out that we have inequalities and discrimination in New Zealand which a progressive Government will aim to amend. 
Turning to the speech of Dr Brash I can only say that he was a living example of the historical truism that history when it repeats itself is farce. He is a reinvented Muldoon and the policies of division that he is strategically putting forward—and I accept that others in the National Party claim credit for this strategy—are nothing else but farce. The one thing he does not have that Muldoon had is the ability to frighten his caucus to frighten half of the press gallery and to frighten the country. The country sees Dr Brash as a farcical figure and it knows that his policies are recycled conservative policies. 
The policy is: “Let us have sectors to blame.” Let us blame Maoridom let us move on to unions let us blame a whole range of people in New Zealand society and that will be a recipe for success. It is true it could be because at different times in history populations have been frightened. But the legacy that Dr Brash would leave if he were successful would be one that would leave a future generation to pick up the pieces and rebuild. I am confident that the public will not fall for such crass divisiveness. It is a tactic that New Zealand First has used to attack sectors of the population—immigrants and Maori for example. But National is raising that tactic to what it sees as a more sophisticated level. It is interesting to hear the rhetoric: “Let us focus on need let us not pay attention to race.” That ignores the fact that New Zealand has deep divisions of inequality and that there is a need to focus on eliminating that inequality. 
 The groups that National gravitates toward have never wanted New Zealand to be a country of equality. The types of economic policies that Dr Brash favours and that he wants to go back to to privatise and sell off New Zealand’s assets are aimed to allow an elite group of New Zealanders to profit. They are not loyal New Zealanders. Most of the people in the Brash camp have sold out New Zealand live outside of New Zealand and have taken their profits out of New Zealand. That is not the policy of this Labour-Progressive Government.