Collins JudithHon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Corrections): Thank you to the Greens for that round of applause for me. It is always good to be able to reach across the aisle. I really like James Shaw. He is a lovely person but when he starts talking about post-truth politics what the hell is he on? Just get down to what really matters.What we have here is a Government that has been very sensible in the way in which it has managed the country's economy. We have delivered on our promises. I saw the other day not only that New Zealand is the fourth safest country in the world according to the Global Peace Index but also that we now have the fourth fastest economic growth in the OECD. We should have a huge round of applause for New Zealand and New Zealanders. Just last year we created 144000 jobs. That is enormous in a country of this size—4.5 million people and an extra 144000 jobs in just 1 year. It is such a good thing that the Labour Party has announced a crisis in employment because of course the unemployment rate has dropped further as a result of that. It is now down to 4.9 percent. That means we have the second highest employment rate in the OECD group of developed countries. This country's economy is rocking. Wages are now up. The average wage is now $58400 a year. That is $12000 more a year since 2008—more than double the rate of inflation. The inflation rate at the moment I think it is around about zero-point-something percent—Hon Member: Four.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: —0.4 percent. So what we have is that more people have more money have got more jobs and have more opportunities. They are better educated they are doing better and by the way inflation remains low. We have also got interest rates—so let us look at interest rates. They are now as low as they were in the 1960s when Keith Holyoake was the Prime Minister. That is how low they have been now for the last few years. This is something that actually makes a huge difference to people not only to buy homes but actually for small-business owners. I have news for people like the Labour Party members who do not understand anything about businesses and small business. It is that most people in New Zealand who go into business go into small businesses and the way they get the capital is they borrow against their homes. They extend out their mortgages; they get overdrafts. That is how they do it. And when you are paying 28 percent—which is certainly what we were paying my husband and I back in the 1980s when Labour was in Government—it is very hard to make that work and yet we did by sheer hard work. Actually today the interest rates are at such a low rate that people can take a risk they can start a business and they can employ people because they can take that risk. Those low interest rates are actually translating into better business cheaper business more jobs more opportunities a richer country and more people who have got a future that they can be proud of. So when you are talking about post-truth politics let me say this to the member James Shaw who just resumed his seat: let us talk about jobs. That is what this Government is all about: jobs and jobs that work. The Government's books are back in surplus. This means actually that this Government does have the opportunity to talk about what can happen with that surplus—what can happen what can be done. Unlike the Opposition we actually have to pay for the promises.Hon David Cunliffe: Your role model lost the American election.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: It is great to hear Mr David Cunliffe finally speaking again in the House. Is that not lovely? I must say it is always good to have Mr David Cunliffe—or the Hon David Cunliffe I should say—speaking. It always reminds everyone just how good Andrew Little is. He really is great. I have a lot of faith in Andrew Little. I was thinking the other day of perhaps starting a Nats for Andy" campaign but look I think he is doing so well on his own. I think every time this man ever declares a crisis it is all sorted. Kelvin Davis: Let's get another speech running Judith. This is terrible.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: He has got magical abilities. He is doing so well. I see Mr Kelvin Davis trying to pipe up and support me in that and I think that is great. It is good for his leadership ambitions. He is also doing so well as we saw today. Ninety percent of people in paid employment are in permanent jobs. Remember what happened when we brought in the ability for people to be able to have a trial period at work? The Labour Party and the Greens said everyone would get sacked. Not under this Government. Not under this economy. Not under this country. People now have an opportunity to have a future that they can own."