Burton Mark: Social Security (Long-term Residential Care)  Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Burton Mark: Social Security (Long-term Residential Care)  Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:635;Page:6264] 
Hon MARK BURTON (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 I came to the House tonight in readiness for the Crimes of Torture Amendment Bill but I have to say that Dr Hutchison has moved me to take a short call on this Social Security (Long-term Residential Care) Amendment Bill. Although I am well accustomed to the rampant—I cannot use the word that begins with “h” I will not use it; I cannot even refer to it so I apologise for even implying the word—I simply could not remain seated having observed the crocodile tears and listened to the mock concern for the elderly from that man Dr Hutchison. He came to the House I think genuinely relatively recently. 
Hon Member 
: He came elderly of course. 
Hon MARK BURTON 
: He came elderly but I thought he also came with some genuine concern for the elderly. I have to say that in contrast to this Government’s commitment to essentially establishing fair treatment and dignity for our senior citizens we have observed yet again from the Tory benches not only crocodile tears but also I think the ideological nonsense that drives so much of the mean-spirited nastiness that would be visited upon New Zealand if ever in the distant future New Zealanders were foolish enough to allow those members near the Treasury benches. 
The party opposite is the party that despite those crocodile tears about the poor elderly in 1999 legislated to reach into the pockets of pensioners and take out $38000 a week in my electorate alone from their pensions. That is what it would have cost the people whom that member opposite claims to be so concerned about. Every week $38000 would have gone from the pockets and purses of pensioners in my electorate—that is their ability to buy a loaf of bread—and into the coffers of the National Party. That was National’s care for the dignity of the elderly. So Dr Hutchison should not come to this House and pretend to have concern for the elderly. He should not come to this House and dare to use words like corruption when attacking the provisions for fair treatment of the elderly that this Government is ensuring are provided. 
Similarly the member deviated from the bill and talked about student loans. It was a great piece of Tory lateral thinking. The relief of student debt—which is something clearly beneficial clearly positive and clearly good for the well-being not only of our individual students but of our community as a whole—was attacked as being some sort of bribe because National had to try to discredit it. I say to the member opposite that Labour will not apologise for taking care in legislation of the needs and well-being of the elderly. We will not apologise for taking care by relieving student debt of the needs of young people who are struggling because of National Party indifference and poor decisions in the 1990s. 
I observed on television yet another example. I thought I had seen it all until I saw Nick Smith with crocodile tears coming down his face standing next to a poor constituent. I did feel some empathy for the woman—who I understand was self-employed—who was on the news with her member of Parliament Dr Nick Smith crying and lamenting at the poor condition she found herself in. It appeared that she did not qualify for parental leave support when she was having a child. That member’s party voted against that provision applying to every single New Zealand parent yet Dr Smith had the absolute gall to go on nationwide television and pretend some sort of sympathy. 
I say to members opposite that it will not do. They can come into this House and ramble on about corruption but the truth will out and the truth is that this Government is about the people’s business. This Government is about looking after and caring for the interests of New Zealanders. Those members opposite have nothing more on their minds than cheap nasty slogans and the juggling of who sits in that vacant seat on the front bench. I wish them all well. It will not make any difference because they will be shuffling the deckchairs on that side of the House for a very very long time.