Moroney Sue: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMoroney Sue: General Debate[Sitting date: 23 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19399. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SUE MORONEY (Labour):For the National Government members of course it is politics as usual this afternoon along with their lame jokes and their nasty little gibes that they are coming out with. Meanwhile the regions lie bleeding—meanwhile the regions lie bleeding—and they laugh. Anne Tolley finds that funny. Well Mrs Tolley go and face those 114 workers in Hamilton who have had news today that their jobs are going. Laugh in their faces and see how that one goes. On this side of the House we are talking about the issues that matter to people—the issues that matter to people—because those people under that Government are losing their jobs. It is not only those people but their families who will be affected. There are 114 more jobs going from the Hamilton economy as if we can afford that. This comes on the back of 130 jobs going from New Zealand Post—yes a Government-owned entity. One hundred and thirty jobs had already gone from New Zealand Post in Hamilton—yes a Government-owned entity—from their distribution centre. About 200 jobs have gone from the Huntly mines over the course of the last few years—yes a Government-owned entity. The Government is pulling out of town in Hamilton and it is hurting. It is hurting our economy. But there are other jobs that are going as well—120 jobs went a few months ago from the Goodman Fielder factory in Frankton the Hutton’s plant and 180 jobs are set to go next year from AgResearch in Ruakura Hamilton—yes a Government-owned entity. The Government is pulling out big time in our city. Unemployment is going up and the economy is suffering as a result.The members over there have gone a little quiet. Well so they should because in the Waikato region unemployment is going up—it is going up. In March 2013 when you could have argued that the global financial crisis was still at its height there was 5.6 percent unemployment in the Waikato region. In March 2014 when we were supposed to be climbing out of the global financial crisis there was 7 percent unemployment in the Waikato region. It is going backwards and that is under the National Government. Unemployment is rising and GDP per capita is going backwards in that same region. Yet the Waikato region should be humming. It should be humming. It is coming off the back of the highest dairy prices that we have ever had in this country. In the Waikato region that should mean plenty of jobs and better economic activity. But under this sorry Government with its lack of a regional economic development plan guess what? Unemployment is going up in the Waikato. It is the dairy giant region of the world and this Government cannot get it right.What is the Government doing in the Waikato region in an area that should be humming with the high dairy prices that there have been? Well it is pulling out the agricultural scientists from the Waikato region. How dumb is that? This is from a Government that has no strategy for delivering to regions’ strengths. When those 180 jobs come out of Ruakura there will be more money out of our local economy and there will be more jobs down the track after that. As it is there are 114 jobs under threat today at Canpac in Te Rapa in the electorate of Tim Macindoe. He asked a question at question time today about regional economies and not once did he mention the 114 jobs going in his own electorate because he does not care. He does not care about those jobs going and I think that is a disgrace. But with those jobs going $6 million in spent wages will come out of the local Hamilton economy every year from losing those jobs. Do you know what is going to happen next under this Government? There will be more jobs from our local economy after those wages stop being spent there.A Labour-led Government has a plan for regions like the Waikato. We just yesterday announced a plan to put $200 million into the regions to ensure that we can actually create jobs improve economies and take care of the regions. Well they may joke while the regions lie bleeding but in the Labour Party we are making a plan for regional economic development so that we can actually improve those economies get jobs in there help families and make a difference.