Hutchison Paul: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Hutchison Paul: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
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Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Hunua) 
: 
 I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak in this very important debate following the Prime Minister’s statement. The Prime Minister’s speech was not only aspirational practical and wide-reaching but extremely forward-looking and positive for all New Zealand and he got the standing ovation that he deserved. But what a treat it was to see the smile on Shane Jones’ face by the time Phil Goff had finished his speech. Shane Jones knows there is an opportunity coming. Phil Goff and Labour lost all their credibility this afternoon. In fact Phil Goff claimed that he opposed the introduction of GST yet he was in the very Government that introduced GST. If there was any legacy of that 1984 to 1990 Government that commentators around the world have applauded it was GST and the fair way in which it was introduced. Yet today we heard Phil Goff perhaps in true Judas-like fashion deny that he had voted GST in. 
This afternoon Phil Goff went on to say the Governor of the Reserve Bank was right. In my view Governor Alan Bollard’s remarks about the possibility of New Zealand catching up with Australia were pessimistic and dour. They were a bit like those of the last speaker. This is in sharp contrast with one of the great qualities of our Prime Minister John Key. He is optimistic and quick. He is determined through practical common-sense planning to bring about a brighter future for all New Zealanders. Phil Goff literally lost his mojo this afternoon. Any sense of credibility went out of the window when he claimed that the Government had no plan. How many times do we have to spell it out to Phil Goff that at the heart of the Government’s economic plan lie six main policy drivers let alone spell out the clear accomplishments and plans that have occurred in law and order in health and in education? They have been spelt out to Phil Goff time and time again. 
The first of the economic plans is to develop a world-class tax system. For 9 years all that the previous Labour Government did was to complicate New Zealand’s tax system and erode the ethic of “reward for hard work”. At the same time we watched New Zealand haemorrhage: 30000 New Zealanders crossed the Ditch to Australia every year. Under Labour 10 times as many New Zealand graduates left New Zealand permanently as Australian graduates left Australia. That was the legacy of the Labour Government. This National Government after a widely publicised and discussed tax task force will bring in a fair system that is simple and incentivises New Zealanders by rewarding them for hard work. 
The second area is the plan to deliver better public services. Under the previous Labour Government we saw massive growth in bureaucracy in the order of 30000 extra public servants. I repeat what Craig Foss mentioned earlier: that it was Labour that brought in a policy of increasing chief executives’ salaries by 5 percent a year for 5 years. We immediately stopped that. But Phil Goff is campaigning on lowering chief executives’ salaries! There is only one word for that and I am not allowed to say it in this House. 
One of the worst areas where problems occurred under Labour was the health sector and there was a failure despite putting in $6 billion more to increase elective surgery in any way. In one year under this National Government and its clearly signalled plans to focus on front-line health services National has delivered an additional 11805 elective operations. That is a record annual increase. I will say that again. In 1 year this National Government has delivered an additional 11805 elective operations which is a record annual increase. There is a pathway of sensible practical plans after the ministerial review to clear up the mess that the Labour Government left in the area of health. 
The next area is support for science innovation and trade. When Phil Goff says there is no plan he forgets that under National this year the Primary Growth Partnership will be fully up and running with the Government investing up to $40 million alongside industry. That figure will increase to $70 million in the future. Phil Goff forgets that his previous Government had a plan to bring in an undirected tax credit which would inevitably have been rorted as similar schemes have been around the world. He forgets that Labour’s so-called Fast Forward Fund although sounding large in number was not an economically sensible way to fund anything at all. Phil Goff also forgets that one of the most positive initiatives if not the most positive initiative that came out of the Copenhagen conference last year was New Zealand’s initiative for a global research alliance to drive much-needed research on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. This is good for science it is good for New Zealand and it is good for the world. I am extremely excited by the facts that the National Government has appointed a science adviser of the calibre of Sir Peter Gluckman and that John Key has said science and innovation will be at the centre of the National Government. To put it in John Key’s words we have made this area a priority for new spending in this year’s Budget with a focus on boosting business research and science capability. I say to Phil Goff he should just try to concentrate. This is all part of a well-thought-out integrated plan. 
The first of the other three areas is investment in infrastructure where we will invest $7.5 billion extra in the next few years. The second is regulatory reform where the first tranche of reform has already been done and the second tranche of reform of the Resource Management Act is about to begin. The third area is education and skills. How can Phil Goff say there are no plans when under his previous Labour Government over 20 percent of our children left school without the appropriate skills to get a job in the new world? National has a very clear plan which is to introduce national standards to years 1 to 8. The vast majority of parents want this to happen for our children. 
Finally I mention that over the last 2 weeks I have had the privilege to attend both the Ratana and Waitangi celebrations. There is a great new mood; it is one of collaboration and aspiration. Under the coalition Government of the National Party Maori Party ACT Party and United Future there is a bright future for all New Zealanders. Phil Goff is wrong: National has a very clear plan. His problem is that he is not included in it and the smile on Shane Jones’ face is getting wider and wider.