Tremain Chris: Minimum Wage (New Entrants) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Tremain Chris: Minimum Wage (New Entrants) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:641;Page:11181] 
CHRIS TREMAIN (National—Napier) 
: 
 I would like to add a contribution to this debate tonight. I start by responding to Minister Dyson’s comments about the changes in unemployment rates across the country since the Labour Government’s rise to power in this country particularly her claim that amongst 18 and 19-year-olds there has been a drop of 17500 in unemployment and also that altogether there has been a reduction of 140000 people in unemployment. It was an interesting point that was made because Labour members always say they are responsible for that drop in unemployment. How they make that out I am not too sure. Did the Labour Government employ those people? 
Sue Moroney 
: Labour is responsible for the drop in unemployment. National raised unemployment. 
CHRIS TREMAIN 
: Labour is responsible for the drop in unemployment? Employers are responsible for the drop in unemployment—employers—and that is where this Government does not understand business at all. The people who are responsible for the drop in unemployment in this country are employers. We see the same situation with a conservative Government in Australia. There has been a significant drop in unemployment over there over the same time because of employers. I ask those members to name me one thing that this Government has done in the last 6 years— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Order! It is Wednesday evening; I am aware of that. 
CHRIS TREMAIN 
: —that has— 
Peter Brown 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I do not want to interrupt the member’s speech. He is making some very good points. But I wonder whether he would take a question. Would the Government have been responsible— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No no. The member is perfectly entitled to ask the member on his feet to yield but that is up to the member himself. It is not a point of order. 
CHRIS TREMAIN 
: The decisions around employment are made by employers and are largely driven by the economic circumstances that they find their businesses in. That is what drives unemployment. Let us take the comment about the drop in unemployment among 18 and 19-year-olds. I will give the Labour Government some credit for the drop in unemployment. The credit goes to Labour because of the rise in bureaucracy in this country—I will give them that one. 
The $20 billion increase in Government expenditure since 1999—$20 billion—has resulted in some employment that they can take some credit for. But tell me how many of those 18 and 19-year-olds has the Government employed? How many 18 and 19-year-olds have been employed by the bureaucracy? How many nurses aged 18 and 19 have been employed? How many doctors aged 18 and 19 have been employed? How many analysts at the Ministry of Economic Development are 18 and 19-year-olds? How many analysts at the Department of Statistics are 18 and 19-year-olds? Not one. So the reduction of 17500 in unemployment has nothing to do with the $20 billion increase in spending by the Government and it has everything to do with employers in this country who have driven unemployment down. 
What policies have been put in place to help the unemployment rate? Here we see a bill—not a Labour bill but a Green bill—aimed at increasing the youth rate. I turn to clause 4 “Prescription of minimum wages” and you will be pleased Mr Chairman that I am getting back to that part of the bill. Section 1 in clause 4 states: “The Governor-General may by Order in Council prescribe the minimum rate …”. Now how is the prescription of a minimum rate going to reduce the unemployment rate of 18 and 19-year-olds? It will not make one iota of difference because for 18 and 19-year-olds and 16 and 17-year-olds employment is all about employers who give them a job. 
I want to finish my speech tonight by talking about McDonalds Supermarket an employer in Taradale. I ask the Green members how clause 4 “Prescription of minimum wages” will help that employer employ more 16 and 17-year-olds. That employer has helped to increase employment in this country. It has employed 16 and 17-year-olds and it has given them a work ethic that they can take with them throughout their lives based on a wage that that supermarket can afford. I was one of the guys who was lucky enough to get a job in that supermarket early in my career and that gave me a work ethic. Over many many years employers such as that company have employed young people given them a start and given them a future.