Roche Denise: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Roche Denise: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Sitting date: 14 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6582. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
8. 
DENISE ROCHE (Green) 
 to the  
Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment 
: Was he referring to the SkyCity Convention Centre which is the subject of an inquiry by the Auditor-General when he told the House “in relation to the International Convention Centre they have sought to stop which is the reason right now for 1000 less jobs in this country”? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment) 
: 
 Absolutely. I was referring to the estimated 1000 jobs involved in the construction of the proposed Auckland convention centre. That member knows as well as anybody else that her party has sought to stop the development of the convention centre at the cost of those jobs to the country. So the Greens have worked to block this initiative at exactly the same time they are calling for more jobs in New Zealand and the reality is you cannot constantly say you cannot do things. The reality is that that is lost on the Greens but it is actually not lost on everybody else. 
Denise Roche 
: Is he aware that the additional pokies that form part of that convention centre deal are likely to lead to a net loss of jobs as Australian research shows that because electronic gambling is capital-intensive and jobs-light it sucks spending and jobs out of other more job-intensive retail and tourism businesses? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Well if the member is suggesting that there should be more gaming tables and fewer electronic machines I am sure she could send me a note to that effect and we will pass it on to the negotiators. 
Denise Roche 
: I seek leave to table a study  
Electronic Gaming Machines in Bendigo 2008—assessing their economic impact 
 prepared for the city of Bendigo which concludes: “Any shift in spending towards [electronic gaming machines] will clearly lead to a fall in employment.” 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Denise Roche 
: Do any of the 1000 jobs he says the convention centre would generate include additional police required to manage problem-gambling related crime and the prostitutes planned for a 10-storey brothel across the road or additional mental health workers needed to mop up the consequences of additional pokies; and when did crime and misery become the cornerstone of the National Government’s job plan? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Well a couple of points there. Firstly they are the construction jobs for the convention centre—the 1000 jobs that I was referring to. The second point is I have to say that is a bit rich coming from a party that supported the previous Government to do exactly the same arrangement to establish the first Skycity convention centre in Auckland in 2004 which the New York consultant whom we were talking about before proudly opened and proudly endorsed. 
Denise Roche 
: Is he concerned that the expansion of the casino is likely to encourage more gambling from people like drug tycoon Tac Kin Voong who gambled $11 million in 6 months at Skycity making the casino $1.5 million in profits; if so would he consider supporting Metiria Turei’s Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 (Application to Casinos) Amendment Bill which would force the casino to return profits from the proceeds of crime? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: In relation to the bill the member refers to I should draw the member’s attention to two laws that were passed in 2009 the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act and the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act which already contain much of what that particular bill is I understand seeking to achieve. More broadly the opportunity of having a major convention centre in Auckland and the tourism benefits and the convention benefits it brings to New Zealand are very very significant. I appreciate that every time the Greens see an opportunity they want to stop it but the rest of us actually have to be focused on all the opportunities we can have to grow investment and jobs in this country.