McClay ToddHon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua): That was a speech that suggests the Government's approach is Put your head in the sand and it will all be OK." because what the Hon Willie Jackson said is that when the Prime Minister's website—because the Prime Minister is responsible for the Government—said that 700000 people in Auckland had to rush out and get tested and then she got angry about it because it wasn't correct it didn't matter. What Willie Jackson just said was that if a few people with coronavirus get out of quarantine and wander around the country hugging people it doesn't matter. What he would have said I'm sure if he'd had a little more time at his disposal is that if the Government says everybody at the border who works at the border will be tested and everybody that comes into the country will have a day three test it will happen. But actually what Willie Jackson really is saying is that it doesn't matter and therein lies the problem because Willie Jackson if there is an apology that is needed in this House today it's to the 400 people that have been losing their jobs every single day since your Government put Auckland back into lockdown—400 people a day losing their jobs—because it wasn't necessary. If your Government was doing its job properly and not making excuses then we would have been on top of the virus. It wouldn't have got back over the border. The Government wouldn't be standing there and saying "We don't know how it got back in." and they would be giving an assurance to every single person in Auckland and every single person around the country that they were doing their job properly that they were on top of this and that there would not be a need to yo-yo in and out of lockdown again. So those 400 people every single day that lost their jobs are the ones that deserve the apology not the rant we just had from the Hon Willie Jackson about something that happened in his imagination when he was on the radio up to nine years ago. That means nothing at all to those people that were locked down. What the apology should be today the Hon Willie Jackson is to the travel agents in New Zealand that have been working since early this year without any remuneration at all. The Government could have solved that many many months ago if they had intervened and said to the agencies that said that they weren't able to charge when they were getting the money back that there was a way forward. Actually there's $2 billion overseas that's owed to New Zealanders that these travel agents are trying to get back and the Government now three weeks later after saying they would address it with them still hasn't come to a conclusion. I'm sure we'll get an announcement before the election but Willie Jackson it will be too late for the travel agents in Auckland that went back into lockdown and are losing their businesses and for the people that are losing their jobs and it will be too late for all of the other travel agents around the country that are losing their businesses because the Government didn't do its job properly during lockdown and after lockdown to work out who it was that would need support and would need help. Grant Robertson during the first lockdown said to the pandemic committee that he was weeks away from sorting something out between commercial landlords and commercial tenants and we are still waiting. Now there is the opportunity to have some sort of mediation and when my office got in touch with the Minister's office to find out when they said "We haven't been able to appoint the service yet. We hope it's some time in the future." Well in Auckland today there are businesses that have more debt because this Government didn't do its job properly and put Auckland back into lockdown who may not be able to pay their rent or can't pay their rent. They are still waiting many many months later for Grant Robertson to actually focus on what's important which is keeping businesses in business keeping people in jobs and not just spending taxpayer money but actually doing their job properly. I feel for the travel agents who have been crying out for support and attention and all they get from the Minister of Tourism is that actually they are the ones responsible and they're not being reasonable. Well I'll tell you what's reasonable: they want to keep working they want to keep people in jobs and they want to get those refunds and so far absolutely nothing from this Government. When they announce it I say to every travel agent in this country: whatever the Government does it won't be enough; it'll just get you by to get the money back and then you'll end up closing up because they haven't got a plan and quite frankly they don't care. You know we've got $11.7 million spent on a school that's not even a school and I think the Green Party should be just as ashamed as Willie Jackson and every other Government member and Government Minister. When someone stands in this House and says "What about a winter energy payment?" $11.7 million would have been almost 2700 winter energy payments for hard-working New Zealanders. Kiwis did what they were asked. They sacrificed. It is about time that the Government did what they said they would for them and started actually helping them."