Don Brash: Fundamental lack of integrity at the core

The Parliamentary year begins with key speeches by Prime Minister Helen Clark and Opposition Leader Don Brash. Below is an edited transcript of Don Brash's speech:

We in the National Party understand that New Zealand succeeds or fails, not through edict of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, but on the efforts of individuals and businesses. We understand that for New Zealand to succeed, New Zealand individuals and businesses must have the incentive to succeed through their hard work, their innovation, their investment of capital. Helen Clark, on the other hand, thinks it's all about her. She thinks that by making a speech today instructing New Zealanders to succeed that they will loyally obey the Prime Ministerial command.

And when survey after survey of business and employer sentiment spells out the dawning truth that those who hold New Zealand's future prosperity in their hands do not have confidence in current policies, Helen Clark's only message to those people today is simply: "You're wrong".

When we consider this Government's history over the last six years, why on earth should we believe that what Helen Clark outlines as her programme today will do anything useful to help New Zealanders get the healthcare they deserve, get the education they want for their children, get the standard of living they want and deserve? Indeed, why should we believe anything she says?

On this side of the House, and increasingly throughout New Zealand, we know that there is a fundamental lack of integrity at the core of this Labour-led Government. If that needed any confirmation, the announcement by the Electoral Commission just last week of Labour's massive over-spending and cynical willingness to use the public purse as an extension of its party campaign fund surely does the job.

This is a Government which is totally devoid of principle, driven only by the unbridled desire to hang onto power no matter what the cost.

And how seriously can we take Helen Clark's new plans to deliver better education, better healthcare, and better roads? We know that, in the past, the Government presided over hugely wasteful Government spending programmes. And what about infrastructure? Helen Clark makes some bold commitments about building better roads. But her Government has made plenty of bold commitments to build better roads in the past, and we are still waiting. Helen Clark promises to strengthen the police and she mentions her commitment to hire another 1000 police. But the Labour Government's record in law and order is appalling.

Why should we have any confidence at all that Helen Clark, who has shown herself to be utterly cynical when it comes to buying votes, is now serious about putting in place a programme which will actually benefit New Zealanders? Madam Speaker, there was, alas, not the slightest sense of urgency in the Prime Minister's speech. No sense that we face a serious crisis.

No, not the prospect of an imminent slowdown of the economy, and quite possibly a recession, though that will undoubtedly hurt the many thousands of people who will lose their jobs. No, the real crisis is that the gap between after-tax incomes in New Zealand and those in Australia has got markedly wider in the six years since Labour came to office in 1999. In 1999, average after-tax incomes in Australia were 20 per cent above those in New Zealand, pretty much the same gap as that in 1984. In just six short years, that gap has grown to 33 per cent, and no amount of protestation from Michael Cullen will alter that fact.

And looking forward, every indication is that that gap will continue to widen over the next three years, with very slow growth in New Zealand and further tax cuts promised in Australia.

Following the election last September, National now has the strongest Opposition caucus in terms of numbers, ability, and experience in New Zealand history. We have the people needed to develop and implement our policies. We also have a clear vision of where we want to go, what kind of country we want New Zealand to be, and most importantly, what sort of policies will get us there. We want New Zealand to be a country where people are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves, but where those who, through no fault of their own, have stumbled upon hard times, are supported through those times.

We want New Zealand to be a country where Government seeks to expand the choices our citizens have, not close them down.

We want New Zealand to be a country where there is a business environment that attracts the investment that will boost productivity and incomes in New Zealand. We want New Zealand to be a country where we ensure that every child has access to a first-class education by providing parents with alternatives if their child's future is at risk. We want New Zealand to be a country where everybody has access to good-quality healthcare because we are getting value for money in healthcare spending.

We want New Zealand to be a country where people respect the rights of others, and are kept safe from those who would abuse those rights. And we want New Zealand to be a country where people have equal rights under the law, regardless of race.

And we must be a country where, in spite of the diversity of our community, we share sufficient common values to bind us together as a nation. This would be a country which our children and grandchildren would want to return to. This is the kind of country which the National Party is going to fight for.