Carter John: New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans' Pensions (Entitlements of Spouses and Partners of People in Long-term Residential Care and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee 
Carter John: New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans' Pensions (Entitlements of Spouses and Partners of People in Long-term Residential Care and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:631;Page:3522] 
JOHN CARTER (National—Northland) 
: 
 I wish to take a call on the title clause and draw to the Committee’s attention the fact that the bill is actually called the New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans’ Pensions (Entitlements of Spouses and Partners of People in Long-term Residential Care and Remedial Matters) Bill—which in itself is rather a mouthful. 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Sorry what was it? I missed that! 
JOHN CARTER 
: I will not repeat that for the member; I am sure she is able to read it. But I just make this point: I am not sure that we have the title quite right. Somewhere in the title we should have the words “Thank Nick Smith and Mr Page.” Those words should be in the title because this bill would not be here if it were not for Nick Smith and the work he did on this whole issue. Nick Smith needs to be congratulated for making it happen. So I would suggest that the first thing we need to consider is whether we have the wording right in regard to saying that it is just about New Zealand superannuitants and New Zealand superannuation. I would suggest that if members had listened to this debate—and I have listened very closely—they would have heard that our members and others who spoke referred to the very very good work that our colleague Nick Smith did and the way in which he defended his constituent Mr Page. So that is the first thing we need to put into the title to ensure we have that aspect right. 
The second thing we really need to add to the title are the words “Lazy Tired Government.” That is what should be in there: “Lazy Tired”—and what about “Hopeless” as well? We could put those words into the title because they describe what has happened with this bill. How long has it taken for this Government to get around to doing this tiny little thing that is so important to so many people in New Zealand? 
Lindsay Tisch 
: How long? Tell us how long! 
JOHN CARTER 
: Well at the moment I am not sure. I heard 2 years then I heard 3 years and then I heard 6½ years. I think it is probably around about that time. So somewhere in this title we need to put in “Lazy Tired Hopeless 6½ Years of Socialist Government”. That is what we should be putting in the title because those are the sorts of words that people when they pick up this bill will need to identify it by. That is the easiest way by which people will identify it. If we are to be accurate in this Parliament—and I suggest that the National Party wants us to be—then we really need to describe what this bill is about. It is describing the inadequacies of this Government and the fact that its members do not care about our elderly folk. They seriously do not care. There they are—we have had to railroad them force them and drive them to take this stance on this bill. If it were not for Nick Smith and the National caucus the bill would not have happened; we would not have been debating it today. 
It is a good thing that this country has the National caucus here at all. Otherwise there would be some very distraught distressed elderly people as well as their children and their grandchildren. It would be a terrible place without this National caucus. We should probably put that in the title as well actually when I think about it. We should put words in the title such as “Thank Goodness for the National Caucus” as well. That would be appropriate. We could fit those words in. 
My mother is overseas at the moment but I know that she will be listening to this debate. She will have her earpiece in over in Brisbane where she is with my sister listening to this debate closely and saying: “There’s my boy working for me along with his colleagues from the National caucus. Thank goodness for the National caucus.” She knows that none of those socialists over on that side of the Chamber will get this issue sorted. It is only us who will do it. We are getting it sorted out for the elderly folk in this country. Elderly folk will be in their wheelchairs and their rest home beds tonight saying: “Thank goodness for the National caucus thank goodness for Don Brash thank goodness for Nick Smith—thank goodness for the National team.” 
Do members know what will really disappoint our elderly folk at the end of the day? When we finally put this bill through it will be called only the New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans’ Pensions (Entitlements of Spouses and Partners of People in Long-term Residential Care and Remedial Matters) Bill. Well that is just not good enough. Seriously if we have a title—and the title is meant to explain what this bill does and what we are debating—we need to add the words “Nick Smith” we need to add the words “National Party” and we need to add the words “Don Brash”. That would then appropriately reflect what this bill is all about.