Bennett David: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 28 July 2015. Volume:707;Page:5387. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): Thank you for the opportunity to speak in this debate. I just want to contrast that last speaker Ron Mark. The members of the public out there will know him as probably one of the most angry members of this House and a most detestable member of this House as well. But that member was actually part of a Government that sent troops overseas and did not give them tax-free salaries. Why did that Government not give them a tax-free salary? Why did the Government that that member was part of not give them a tax-free salary? When that member was in Government troops were sent overseas without tax-free status.And then today in this Chamber he comes here and says: “Look at me. I am the person standing up for those troops. I am the person who is the only one who cares. I am the only one who is doing this.” And when he had a chance he delivered nothing for those troops. All he did was pay for his big fat salary so that he could walk behind his leader and leave this Chamber whenever his leader instructs him to do something. Never has that member delivered anything for this country in this Parliament. Never has that member actually delivered anything that an individual member of Parliament would do. All that member has done in his whole lifetime is sit behind somebody else and be on their gravy train. That is all that member knows.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I need to assist as a point of correction. I was in a National - New Zealand First coalition Government that delivered lots of good things for the people of New Zealand.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): That is not a point of order; it is a matter of debate. The member will be seated.DAVID BENNETT: Thank you. When we come to the foreign affairs and defence areas of this country—Hon Clayton Cosgrove: Which you’d know very little about.DAVID BENNETT: Mr Cosgrove is over there. Mr Cosgrove is another member who knows all about sitting on the fat of the country is he not? We would like to see him win a seat back in that area again but that is not going to happen is it Mr Cosgrove? Coming in here spouting as well—Ron Mark: Go back to San Francisco.DAVID BENNETT: I would be quiet Mr Mark because the public has seen your true colours tonight. The public has seen somebody that is not black and white. He is not New Zealand First. He is not even Green. Ha ha! He is another colour and the reason that he is that colour is that he does not stand up for the people of New Zealand when he has a chance and that is the reality of it. And the Labour Party—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): Back to the bill—back to the bill.DAVID BENNETT: OK but it is not really a bill. It is the estimates but I will get back to it.When we talk in this debate about foreign affairs it is important to look at New Zealand as an open free country a country that is confident to take its place on the world stage a country that New Zealanders can be proud of and proud of what it stands for and a country that is open to people coming here and making their lives in this country. New Zealand is a country that sees a future in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a country that does not want to discriminate against people on the basis of their surnames. It is a country that does not want to discriminate—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Chester Borrows): The member is debating the estimates; it would be good if he got back to them.DAVID BENNETT: OK Mr Chair. I know Mr Mark wants to clap but that is what he does when he is that member of the party and I would love for Tracey Martin to be here at this stage as well. The estimates are an important part of what we look at when we look at what this country is achieving on the world stage especially in the defence area and in the foreign affairs area. When we look at the speeches made in the past they have talked about things like New Zealand’s role on the Security Council they have talked about free-trade agreements with Korea and they have talked about free-trade agreements that are soon to come which the Green Party will be voting against and which the Labour Party for the first time in its history will be voting against. It will be voting against free trade and against something that will deliver for New Zealanders and that is a shame on the Labour Party.You just have to go across the Ditch to see that it did not work out when people took that attitude towards the ability of a country to trade and become more successful. New Zealanders need those trade arrangements. They need those trade agreements and it is a shame on the Labour Party that its leadership will be ideologically driven to oppose free trade—just as they are opposed to immigration just as they are opposed to people making New Zealand their home and just as they are opposed to this country taking its rightful place in foreign affairs and taking its rightful place in the Asia-Pacific region. We can be a leader in that region. We can be a country that is seen as free independent and confident and one that delivers for its people. We do not have to be seen as a country that is insular against trade against immigration and against people making a future for themselves in this country as the Opposition parties have shown themselves to be tonight in their speeches and in their failure to act when given the chance to many years ago.