Mallard Trevor: Taxation (KiwiSaver and Company Tax Rate Amendments) Bill — First Reading 
Mallard Trevor: Taxation (KiwiSaver and Company Tax Rate Amendments) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:639;Page:9395] 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister for Economic Development) 
: 
 The people of New Zealand should know that that was John Hayes the member for Wairarapa and I am sure the people of the Wairarapa will be calling out for Georgina Beyer to come back to Parliament again. “Come back Georgina.” they are saying. John Hayes might have done good work at Bougainville but he has done no good work in this Parliament at all. 
Nathan Guy 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The speaker should address the member by his correct name. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: It was clear he was referring to the speaker who had just made his contribution Tim Groser and I am sure all members know who other members are. 
Tim Groser 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not find this at all upsetting. This is actually the fourth occasion. It is obviously a deliberate tactic. Just let it go. It does not worry me at all. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I apologise to the member. There are a number of those new members around who have not really made an impression on Parliament yet and if that is Mr Groser I apologise. [ 
Interruption 
] Sorry? I apologise to Mr Hayes as well just to make it even-handed. [ 
Interruption 
] That is right. To accuse Mr Hayes of making a speech like that would be a terrible thing to do. 
Darren Hughes 
: Hayes would be worse. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Oh no. He could not be worse than Groser. But what I think is really interesting is coming down and listening to the man who was paid excessively to go around the world for years and years as a public servant and who now criticises their wages. He was one of the highest-paid public servants in the country. He got overseas allowances and put money in his pocket all over the place but now he is attacking the public servants of Wellington. Well I say that for someone who apparently wants to run for Wellington Central not for Wairarapa that is very very sad indeed. 
The next question I want to ask Mr Groser is whether he ever got a posting to Australia. Did he ever notice what happens in Australia? He does the comparators between New Zealand and Australia but what will the net effect of KiwiSaver be on employers in New Zealand when fully implemented? There is debate about it—it may be 1.1 1.15 or 1.2 percent of salaries. And what does it cost in Australia? 
Hon Marian Hobbs 
: 9 percent. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The figure is 9 percent. He says that firms will flee to Australia— 
Darren Hughes 
: To pay more. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
:—to pay 8 percent more and have capital gains tax— 
Darren Hughes 
: And stamp duty. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
:—and a few other things and some local taxes as well. 
Well generally public servants are good but I have a feeling that as that member has come from the public service to the National Party the average has improved in the public service. I am not sure about the National Party; that is something that is truly debatable in the House today. But what I could not believe in the House earlier was Bill English saying that the National Party will vote against the biggest cut in company tax rates since 1988. I know that politics is turning on its head and I know that the world is upside down but how could the party of Holyoake the party of Marshall and the party of Brash vote against massive tax cuts for companies? Of course it could but I can see Mike Williams doing the phone calls now. The donations will probably all be under $5000 or $10000 but companies will be saying that the National Party wants to reverse the tax cuts and they will be running to the Labour Party. I tell members that I will be photocopying that  
Hansard 
— 
Hon Bill English 
: Big business has bought Labour’s policy. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
:—and I will be sending it far and wide I tell Bill English. Every employer in my electorate will get a copy of Bill English’s speech because he said that National members are against company tax cuts. You know a bright party—and even old Bob Clarkson knows this— 
Darren Hughes 
: Not bright enough. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: No he is bright enough to know that a bright party says: “We will oppose parts of this at the Committee stage. There are bits of it that we don’t like. We can’t work out which bits but we will get through to there identify the bits we are opposed to and vote against it at the Committee stage but we won’t make tits of ourselves voting right through.” There are good bits even from a National Party perspective in this bill. I think that the whole bill is excellent. I think that the bill is absolutely brilliant. I mean “Trapdoor Bill” has the noose around his neck— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I mean that Mr English has the noose around his neck and his legs are dangling in the trapdoor because he got caught. He opposed something when he did not know what was coming. 
Darren Hughes 
: But he runs the strategy. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: No he does not run the strategy. No no they have “Bright Gerry” doing the strategy or Murray McCully—it is probably Murray McCully actually by the way they are going at the moment. I think it is a McCully approach—you know to build up a lead and blow it. He has done it four elections in a row now. 
Hon Steve Maharey 
: He’s a choker. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I really would not go into the detail of Mr McCully. But what is clear is that Mr McCully specialises as National’s strategist in building up leads and blowing them—and we can see it happening here now. It is just absolutely obvious for anyone who has any experience in politics when something is to be adopted. We know that John Key will cuddle up to KiwiSaver. We know it. We know that John Key will not take money off ordinary punters who will get their money for KiwiSaver. We know he is not as stupid as that. So why does that party oppose it now which will mean having to do a flip-flop? Why would anyone who is half rational not say: “OK every now and again Labour has a good idea assisted by Peter Dunne”—but not assisted by all of Peter Dunne’s previous team—“and Winston Peters. There is a good package here. Let’s adopt it. Let’s go for it and get it over with.” But what do they do? They say traditional old Opposition crap: “We’ll oppose it for the sake of opposing it.” 
Darren Hughes 
: The 1992 strategy. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Well actually it is the 1999 strategy for the Labour Party policy—the bits of it they should have adopted then. In 2005 they had a very very similar strategy—and they fell over. I am not going to complain. You know Michael Cullen is approaching the mid-point of his career as Minister of Finance and if they want to take that sort of approach it is something I absolutely welcome. But I would have thought that with the quality of education these days the continuing education courses that people do the political science that is available at universities around the country and some of the wise old heads there— 
Darren Hughes 
: Like Lockwood Smith. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Well no—people who have gone. All they had to do was give Jim Bolger a ring. Jim Bolger would have given them advice. I rang him yesterday and got some advice. He is in Ireland. They could have given him a ring and said: “Jim what should we do? You know this is quite good. We don’t want to damage ourselves. What should we do?”. Any reasonable former leader—any reasonable person—would have said: “If you really agree with it cuddle up quick. Don’t let there be any divisions and go for it. And for goodness’ sake don’t get caught doing a flip-flop because that’s the fatal thing.” 
Bob Clarkson 
: Like the Australians. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Well a flip-flop like Mr Clarkson on smacking or puffing—“Flip-flop Bob”! We know that he was against it and now he is for it. I want to make one final comment on stadia. I want to put on the record that John Key was a stronger supporter of the waterfront stadium than I was.