Robertson GrantGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central): It was Hubert Humphrey the former Vice-President of the United States who said that the moral test of a Government is how it treats those in the dawn of life how it treats those in the twilight of life and how it treats those in the shadows of life—the sick and the needy. Any New Zealander who read on Sunday the story of the boarding houses of New Zealand and asked themselves the question as to whether the Government of today is meeting the moral test of looking after those in the dawn of life the twilight of life and the shadows of life they would have seen a massive failure.Julia Alatina is 18 months old. She lives to describe it as it is in the article in a shoebox-sized room" on a "foam mattress". She lives there with fleabites. She lives there with her whole family wondering whether they will be able to get through the night and whether they will avoid the violence that is around her. A psychologist said this about Julia's life: "Living this way really denigrates the dignity of a person; it touches everything—their health psychology education and employment. When you sleep in a room infested with cockroaches and fleas surrounded by parties and fights each night how can you be in the right mind frame for school the next morning? … Where's the space even to do your homework?"That is the reality of life for an 18-month-old. Is that the dignity that we want to offer New Zealanders today? In a country that is relatively wealthy—a country that has prosperity—there is a Government today that says that is acceptable. When that question was put to Bill English today when his moral leadership was tested today by Andrew Little about what should happen for Julia Alatina he said it is the Auckland Council's fault. That is what he said today. That is not leadership. If he is not ready to lead on that move over because Andrew Little is ready to lead on that and the Labour Party is ready to lead on that. David Bennett thinks it is more important that he gets a tax cut than it is that Julia Alatina gets a safe place to live. That is the moral code of David Bennett and the National Government—that it is OK for New Zealanders to live in squalid conditions while he gets a tax cut.Once upon a time the National Government told us that it was ambitious for New Zealand. Well I will tell you what. I am ambitious for every New Zealander to live a life of dignity a life with security and a life with hope. Right now today tens of thousands of New Zealanders are living without those three things. If we go to any suburb in Auckland at the moment we will see homeless people we will see people in boarding houses living exactly those kinds of lives that I have just been describing.What we are ambitious for on this side of the House is that every New Zealander gets security and opportunity. It will not happen with the tired out-of-touch National Government. We need a fresh approach that says that after 9 years of poor moral leadership it is time for this country to take a new path. That is one where we say collectively that we understand it is our job as leaders in New Zealand to give every child the same shot at success that we would wish for our children and our grandchildren. Government members cannot stand up in this House today and say that Julia Alatina is getting that kind of shot at success.A Labour Government will prioritise investment in quality housing in healthcare that everybody can access and an education system that gives Julia that chance. We will prioritise that over tax cuts for wealthy New Zealanders. That is what this election will fundamentally be about—the moral test of a Government. I am proud that Labour Party members know where Labour stands when it comes to providing lives of dignity security and hope. The National Government has failed Julia Alatina. It is time for a change of Government."