Huo Raymond: General Debate 
Huo Raymond: General Debate 
[Volume:655;Page:4597] 
RAYMOND HUO (Labour) 
: 
 On Budget day when the House was sitting under urgency I participated in the debate on the Budget. I enjoyed that speech. To a large extent I enjoyed the way that members opposite interjected interrupted or otherwise tried in whatever manner to make it more robust and more interesting for me to deliver the messages I wished to deliver. 
One important message was in relation to jobs and it is worth reiterating that the biggest challenge facing New Zealand’s economy is worsening unemployment. In the week before the Budget more than 1250 Kiwis joined the dole queues. National’s Budget does not set out a coherent plan to keep Kiwis in work. It fails to take action for vulnerable New Zealanders who are on the brink of losing their jobs. It fails to adequately invest in skills training and investment to create new jobs. It fails to set out a clear path that will lift New Zealand out of the current economic downturn. Prime Minister John Key said this week that about 1000 people a week are losing their jobs and finance Minister Bill English said yesterday that he thought the number was higher than that. As recently as this morning the Minister for Social Development and Employment Paula Bennett told the Social Services Committee that there was “no escaping” the effects of the recession on the economy. The Government is well aware of the situation—that the number of New Zealanders receiving a benefit has risen to 302000 the highest level since 2005. 
What has the Government done then? Since the Budget Prime Minister John Key has made 13 statements and speeches but only one of them has been related to jobs. The speech was on the home insulation fund which was not even his idea. Minister of Finance Bill English has made two public statements since the Budget. One attacked Labour’s stance on superannuation and the second one defended his tax cuts to adult and community education. Paula Bennett the Minister for Social Development and Employment has made three public statements none of which have related to job creation. 
Since the Budget nearly 4000 people have lost their jobs—that is 1000 people a week are going on the dole. We have heard today from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research that another 60000 Kiwis are expected to lose their jobs. The  
Press 
 reported that the Government had denied it had a new plan to deal with the surge in unemployment so let us have a look at its plans. 
The Job Summit—yes the Job Summit—was hailed by the Government as its flagship. The 9-day working fortnight headed the Government’s top 20 list for keeping people in work but it has saved just 345 jobs so far with 25 firms applying to join up. When pressed by the  
Dominion Post  
earlier this week Prime Minister John Key was unable to say how many jobs the 9-day working fortnight had saved. However Mr Key could confirm and indeed did confirm that another Job Summit proposal of a Government-subsidised “grab a seat” style promotion to lure long-haul airline travellers to New Zealand had “largely been rejected” because evidence from other countries showed that it did not work. The 9-day working fortnight had been pitched as an opportunity to upskill New Zealanders with training on the 10th day but the training component has been dropped. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Disappeared. 
RAYMOND HUO 
: It has disappeared. Meanwhile as reported in the  
Dominion Post 
 2800 apprentices have been laid off. Nothing has been done since John Key’s Job Summit in February.