Simpson Scott: Debate on Prime Minister’s StatementText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSimpson Scott: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement[Sitting date: 12 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15875. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): It is a pleasure to take a call in this debate on the Prime Minister’s statement. It is particularly a pleasure to follow my friend and colleague Chris Auchinvole from the West Coast who is such a staunch champion and advocate for all things on the Coast including economic growth and hard work and determination. He has been and continues to be one of the Coast’s greatadvocates in this House. When he retires at the election this year we are going to miss him. So Chris it is a pleasure to follow you in this debate. He is a member who understands basic economics. He pulled out a $20 bill and for a Scotsman that can sometimes be quite an unusual thing—a $20 bill—and tried to rip it in half. I am sure he has never tried that before but it was a good thing.I rise to support the Prime Minister’s very excellent statement to Parliament from a week or two ago. As we enter this election year we on this side of the House as the Government are firmly focused on achieving a strong economy more jobs better health and education services a safer New Zealand for all New Zealanders and of course we remain completely committed to the rebuilding of Christchurch. As we enter this election year New Zealanders will be faced with a stark contrast in their decision making when it comes to the ballot. They will be making a decision as to whether they wish to continue with a National Government—whether they trust John Key to lead them again into a third term and whether they trust this National Government—or they want to put it all at risk with a type of coalition arrangement involving Labour the Greens New Zealand First Hone Harawira and Kim Dotcom. I am absolutely sure of the news that the people of Coromandel are telling me and that is that in fact they will not want to put it at risk with that hotchpotch bunch on the Opposition side because the risk is too great and it is also a risk that they will not want to take.Although I am a relatively new member in this House I have been involved and interested in politics for a very long time. I am old enough to remember being told about a fellow by the name of Bill Rowling back in 1975. At that stage there was a guy called Mike Moore who was the Labour member for Eden and I was going to school and being raised in Eden. I remember at that time my parents being involved in that election campaign and that guy Bill Rowling offered—surprise surprise—a baby-bonus bribe not at all unlike the baby-bonus bribe offered by the current leader of the Labour Party one David Cunliffe. So I am very confident that New Zealanders will not be bribed with their own money by this most recent iteration of a Labour leader just as they were not bribed by Bill Rowling.But there is one similarity which I think I would like to draw to the attention of the House between Bill Rowling’s short time in 1975 as leader of the Labour Party and the current Labour leader here in Parliament David Cunliffe. I heard a speech from my friend and colleague Jami-Lee Ross earlier today and it struck me then that Jami-Lee Ross was not born when Annette King and Phil Goff and Trevor Mallard entered this House. Jami-Lee Ross was not yet born. However there are some similarities as I say.Hon Nikki Kaye: I was one.SCOTT SIMPSON: You were one? Nikki Kaye the member for Auckland Central was aged one. But I tell you what. The similarities between Bill Rowling and David Cunliffe are these: Bill Rowling in 1975 saw and David Cunliffe in 2014 sees Annette King Phil Goff and Trevor Mallard as young up and rising stars in a future Labour Government. And now David Cunliffe wants to bring people who are entering their fourth decade of Parliament into this future—it is scary it is absolutely scary. He sees them as up-and-comers.I want to spend a minute talking about the Green Party and its current problems with being donkey deep in dodgy doings all around our mate Kim Dotcom and the Kim Dotcom mansion. I am now keen to know how many visits Russel Norman made to the Kim Dotcom mansion. He has admitted to two secret visits but he now seems to be unsure whether there were phone calls what was discussed at those meetings and who was there. What I am keen to know is whether there was some kind of discussion about campaign funding. I am keen to know whether there was some kind of discussion—well we know that there was a discussion because it is a matter of public record—aboutKim Dotcom not having a party because it is going to impact on the Green Party vote. So I want to know what else was discussed—what other dodgy dirty deals were done at the Kim Dotcom mansion?We have also heard that Winston Peters has also been a recent visitor to the Kim Dotcom mansion. He has not been answering questions about how many times he has been there but he admits that he has been there. He admits that he has been to dinner there and that he had a pleasant evening. I see that that has been confirmed on a wonderful thing called the Twittersphere this afternoon. What is also happening on the Twittersphere this afternoon is that one Jacinda Ardern seems to be very reluctant to answer questions about her involvement and connections with Kim Dotcom.Maggie Barry: I wonder why.SCOTT SIMPSON: Maggie Barry says: “I wonder why.” How many visits to the Kim Dotcom mansion has Jacinda Ardern made? How many other meetings have taken place between that front-bench Labour MP and Kim Dotcom? What was discussed? What was promised? What was offered? These are questions that the New Zealand public and this House really need answers to.Maggie Barry: Has she fronted up?SCOTT SIMPSON: No as far as I am aware Maggie Barry she has not fronted up but I am sure that she will in the fullness of time because the public wants to know the answers to those questions. As we ask questions about how many phone calls how many meetings and how many dodgy doings have been done the good people of Coromandel have had a very pleasant summer.What I have been hearing from the good people of Coromandel is that they like the new Kōpū Bridge. We no longer get news reports every Friday evening on a long weekend that traffic is building up on the Kōpū Bridge. We no longer get news reports on a Monday evening after a long weekend that traffic is building up on the Kōpū Bridge. That is largely due to the foresight imagination and hard work of this National Government. What that has done is build a bridge to a brighter future for Coromandel. I am very pleased that in the Coromandel people are reaping the rewards of it. It means a smooth summer for the literally hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who holiday in my part of the world.This summer people have also been enjoying the Hauraki Rail Trail in record numbers. Part of the New Zealand Cycle Trail the new Hauraki Rail Trail is breathing new life into places like Te Aroha Paeroa Waihī and Thames. Just last week I went to the opening of a new chalet motel accommodation facility in Te Aroha. I can assure members in the House that it has been a very long time since any new accommodation facility has been built in Te Aroha.In conclusion I just want to mention the very good work that is being done by the National Party’s justice team made up of the Minister of Justice Judith Collins; the Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson; the Minister of Police and Minister of Corrections Anne Tolley; and of course the Minister for Courts and Associate Minister of Justice Chester Borrows. This is a team that is putting order into the chaos that was the legacy Labour left behind 5 and a bit years ago. We are bringing some order to that disarray. We have got a record low level of crime. We have got a modernisation of the court system. We have got new policies that are ensuring that access to justice is open fair and easy for all New Zealanders. Ultimately the most important thing is that in our justice system—in the new justice system—victims are put first. I think that is exactly as it should be.So this year there is a stark choice for New Zealand voters. I am confident and I know that they will make the right choice and re-elect John Key and this National Government at the election this year.