Bridges Simon: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBridges Simon: General Debate[Sitting date: 16 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6683. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Energy and Resources): This weekend we are 1 year on from election 2014. [Interruption] In 4 days Annette King we are 1 year on from the greatest National Party victory perhaps actually ever. What has happened in a year? Well let me tell you. As Bill English has said we have got free doctors visits for under-13s something Annette King in all her time in Government over many years could not achieve. We have got benefit increases—the biggest in some 40 years. We have got the biggest and the best infrastructural investment plan this country has ever seen and my portfolio is—Hon Annette King: “Team Bridges”Hon SIMON BRIDGES: “Team Bridges”—that is not the half of it Annette King. Nine of them are in Tauranga on the Tauranga Eastern Link and several of them are in Huntly on the Huntly section being opened. In energy 14000 homes are being insulated. In electricity renewables are going through the roof. We have a record already 1 year into our third term of achievement of strength and of stability. But it is also a year of contrasts. The Prime Minister has given us 7 years of stable strong leadership.What about the countries we compare ourselves with? Well in the US of course we have got a situation where through general dissatisfaction the leadership contest for the presidency is absolutely wide open. In the United Kingdom Jeremy Corbyn has come through—a guy who voted against his party some 500 times and senior colleagues will not work with him.Hon Annette King: What happened to Tony Abbott?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Yes let us come to Australia. We have got a country that has changed its leader almost as many times as Andrew Little has changed his position on the flag—probably not that many but quite a number. There have been four Prime Ministers I think it is in the time that John Key has led New Zealand. But to be fair that is not as many leaders as the Labour Party has had in that time. That is not as many leaders at the Labour—Hon Annette King: Oh hang on a minute: Jim Bolger Jenny Shipley Bill English. I can go through the National Party.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well I wonder whether Annette King can actually name all of those Labour Party leaders. Let me give her a clue: they are still in Parliament—they are actually still in Parliament. None of them has left and they sit there like those old guys on The Muppet Show and they talk at weekends. So Labour is on to its fifth leader. When Jacinda Ardern will it have its sixth?Despite the revolts by Jeremy Corbyn and despite the fact that he will not sing the national anthem—actually what is it about Labour Opposition leaders and the national anthem? But despite those things Jeremy Corbyn is still more popular than Andrew Little. So Jacinda Ardern when will it be six leaders for the Labour Party under John Key’s tenure? That is the other contrast between strong stable leadership from this Government and an Opposition in absolute disarray.Labour has had 7 years to work out some policy in Opposition—7 years. Its policies are—wait for it—on its website. They are—I think this is right—under review. It has been 7 years and its policies are under review. Actually that is a bit unkind to Grant Robertson who on Q+Asaid that Labour is discussing its economic plan. It is good to know that it is discussing it because—Hon Annette King: You’ll only steal our policies.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well the member does have a policy. Basically it is talking down the economy and actually to be fair we think that that is a winning strategy for the National Party. That is a winning strategy for National because it seems that every time Labour says there is a crisis the problem starts getting better. We have seen it with manufacturing. Grant Robertson said there was crisis and the numbers went up. It was the same with unemployment—the numbers went up. Actually the latest example of that was in dairy I think. As soon as Grant Robertson started talking about a crisis the global dairy trade numbers started to get better. That is what I call the reverse Midas touch.The contrasts do not just stop there—between strong stable leadership on this side of the House and what is happening internationally; and between strong stable leadership for this country on this side of the House and the disarray in the Opposition. Actually there are also disagreements and contrasts within the Labour Party. Grant Robertson wants deficits; Andrew Little not so much. Clare Curran is excited by Jeremy Corbyn; David Shearer—I know—not so much. In terms of charter schools Kelvin Davis loves them; Andrew Little not so much. In terms of regional skilled immigration Stuart Nash loves it; Andrew Little not so much. In terms of farmers and health and safety well Andrew Little wants more of that; Damien O’Connor does not.I am proud to be in the party that is providing strong stable leadership while everyone else is contrasting with that. The good news is that there are at least 2 more years to go to make this country better and better.