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John -- National is back. What a difference a week makes. Here in Parliament on a Tuesday night, the energy, enthusiasm and excitement in the National team is palpable. If ever a government needed to be confronted and challenged it is the one fronted by Jacinda Ardern.
Now, National has the team to do it. Chris Luxon and Nicola Willis have got off to a strong start – turning the page on past distractions and setting out in a calm, coherent and sensible way what needs to happen. It’s great to see Simon Bridges taking the fight to Robertson on the economy – pointing out to a complacent Minister that inflation is running faster than wage growth, sending Kiwis backwards in terms of living standards. Of course, house price inflation is leaving incomes behind in the dust – making a mockery of Ardern’s empty promises in 2017 to fix the ‘housing crisis’. I’m delighted to have been entrusted with the weighty portfolios of Justice and Workplace Relations & Safety. Sadly, after a couple of decades of progress, most crime statistics have turned steadily worse in the past few years. I heard in Select Committee today that family harm and violence had increased 60 per cent in past 5 years. The impact on people’s lives, on our children’s prospects, is colossal. What we need is not endless consultation, plans, announcements of good intentions, but sensible, practical measures that will make a difference. Effective economic policies that are taking pressure off families in areas like housing costs. Effective mental health policies that actually deliver better services. Followed by robust policing and swift access to justice – something that few New Zealanders ever see from our largely broken court system, especially in the civil cases. If the Government gave these core issues the same urgency it gives to its favoured Justice topics of regulating hate speech, screwing the scrum on electoral finance laws, repealing Three Strikes legislation and gay conversion therapy, we’d be making more progress. By the way, I’m a free speech defender. The best response to speech you don’t like is more speech – argument, debate, putting a counter view. The worst response is to try to silence speech we don’t like. Free speech is a xxxxxx of democracy and our way of life that needs to be defended each generation. I’m equally passionate about my other portfolio, Workplace Relations & Safety. One of the foundations of our economic progress since the reforms of the 1980s is flexible labour markets. The heavily regulated and unionised workforce of the 1970s and 80s led us nearly to ruin. Since then we’ve recognised the need for globally competitive industries and innovative small businesses to have the flexibility they need to organise their workforce. The Ardern government is undermining that foundation steadily, steering us back towards 1970s style industry awards, under the inappropriately named Fair Pay Agreements. We’ll fight it. Looking forward to hearing from any of you with bright ideas in those two areas. I’m also fielding many calls and emails from New Zealanders keen to support our party and to get involved. Come join us. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season!
Paul Goldsmith |
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