Goff Phil: General Debate 
Goff Phil: General Debate 
[Volume:631;Page:3554] 
Hon PHIL GOFF (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of miscellaneous business 
. The Labour-led Government was elected last year for a third term after an election campaign that was distinctive in two ways. Firstly Labour beat National notwithstanding the fact that National was richly and secretly funded by a clandestine group the Exclusive Brethren. It is an extremist religious group that Don Brash denied was funding National but it was later revealed that the group put $1.5 million into that party. I want to know right now from the National Party what it promised this extremist group in order to get that sort of money. National was supported also of course by another extremist group the Business Roundtable. We have a clear idea of what National promised the Business Roundtable in order to get funding and policy support from it. 
The second distinctive factor of that campaign was the fact that National offered the biggest electoral bribe in this country’s history in the form of $9.5 billion worth of tax cuts. It was the biggest and most unsuccessful electoral bribe in this country. When National Party members came into this House and said they wanted tax cuts in the Budget they ignored the message clearly given by the electorate that the electorate—the people of New Zealand and the parties that make up the majority in this Parliament—prioritised investment in infrastructure and social spending over the tax cuts that were the alternative. 
Everybody in this House would acknowledge that Labour has delivered socially. It has put families first by giving through the Working for Families package tax relief to those people who need it most. That would be at risk if National introduced its tax cuts. Labour has restored the position of superannuitants to whom the National Party dishonestly promised things in the 1990s and failed to deliver. National delivered the opposite—members know it and they cannot deny it. Labour has invested strongly in health—there has been a 77 percent increase in expenditure on health. That would be at risk if the National Party provided tax cuts for wealthy friends. Labour has delivered in education. It has delivered progressive initiatives such as the paid parental leave provision and 4 weeks’ minimum annual holiday which the National Party promised to cut at one stage then not to cut—but if it ever had the chance working New Zealanders know exactly what it would do. 
Labour has also decisively reversed the rundown in infrastructure that occurred under the National Government in the 1990s. There has been a sixfold increase in transmission lines maintenance in this country. That did not happen in the 1990s and we have seen the consequences of that. There has been a $13.4 billion investment in transport—that is something the National Party talked about but failed to deliver to Aucklanders who have to put up with traffic congestion as a result. Labour has made investment in the defence forces; the defence forces were sadly run down by the cold war warriors in the National Party. This Labour Government has put $3.3 billion into new equipment that was badly needed and $4.4 billion into personnel. 
Where the electorate also made the distinction between the two parties was in terms of the quality of leadership. People compared the National Party with the Labour Party and saw that they did not match up. The National Party knows that and Don Brash knows that. Don Brash promised to go if he was not elected at the last election. That is just one of his election promises that he had the opportunity to deliver on but he dishonoured. He is still there notwithstanding the fact that he is being stalked by Gerry Brownlee Bill English and John Key. Why is he still there notwithstanding his failures? It is because those three members hate each other more than they despise Don Brash and that is what keeps Don Brash—successfully for us—in his current position. 
 Let us have a look at what the National Party actually believes in because the quotes are all there. Don Brash wants to privatise the Accident Compensation Corporation New Zealand Post the energy companies and Kiwibank. It is no wonder he put up tax cuts and not the real agenda. New Zealanders would never have elected the National Party on that agenda.