ACT National Conference 2010

Speech by Hon Rodney Hide, ACT Leader
Saturday, February 27 2010

Welcome.

Today I want to talk about Promises.

When politicians mention the word promise it usually generates a good chuckle.

And fair enough.

For the simple reason that political promises are easily made and easily broken.

Today I want to take you through promises made and promises kept. ACT promises.

New Zealand is now enjoying stable centre-right government. That’s something we haven’t had since the start of MMP. And you can put that down to ACT.

It’s a promise ACT made. It’s a promise ACT has kept.

As you all well know, ACT is constantly written off by experts. They have done this in every election since ACT was formed. But in every election we have come through. Last year with John Howard we celebrated our 15th Anniversary. Against all prediction, against all odds, we have not just survived, we have thrived.

Why? How?

Because the Party is based on ideals and values.

And you don’t work away in the ACT Party unless utterly committed to them. We aren’t here because of any individual, or because of a powerful party machine.

What unites ACT — all of us — is an inspiring political ideal and timeless values.

The ideal that people should be free. The ideal that our government exists to uphold our rights as free citizens, not to hold us hostage to political whim and fancy.

The belief that human dignity comes from self-reliance, and that a free person should be, wants to be, responsible for his or her decisions.

As a Party we champion values that encourage self-reliance, not dependency.

We favour choice, not compulsion.

Competition, not government monopoly.

One law for all.

These are the ideals and values that hold ACT together.

These aren’t just handy slogans. We are absolutely committed to them.

I put my job on the line for the principle of one person, one vote.

ACT made the promise. ACT stuck to the promise.

There is no greater call than the call for people to be free. For each and every one of us to be treated the same, no matter our religion, our skin colour, our creed.

That’s what the ACT party stands for. That’s what ACT means.

We embrace the world of free markets, of competition, entrepreneurship and profit. Unashamedly.

We embrace the world of private enterprise, of hard work, new ideas, exciting innovation.

We applaud those who want to see a more successful, wealthier, higher income country.

Our message touched a chord at the last election. In Epsom and around the country.

Now we have a place not just in our Parliament, but in government.

The people of New Zealand voted us into a position of great privilege. Great influence. We have to respect that.

ACT must continue to show that we can provide New Zealand with stable government.

A promise made, a promise kept.

But we must do more than be the guarantor of stable government.

ACT must now show it makes a difference. That not only does New Zealand have a stable government because of ACT but we have better government because of ACT.

We need to show New Zealanders that a party vote for ACT ensures better government, better living standards and a better future for New Zealand.

John Key has made it abundantly clear that our handshake on the deal was more important to him, and so it was to me, than any words on paper.

John Key has been true to his word. Our relationship with National is based on mutual respect and trust.

John Key understands MMP. He knows for his government to succeed, both ACT and National must be successful.

Success that can only be built on promises made and promises kept.

And yes, we promised stable government. But we made serious policy promises too.

To give New Zealand the safeguard of a Regulatory Responsibility Bill; a
Productivity Commission; a 2025 Taskforce to show the way to lift New Zealand incomes; RMA reform; a review of the climate change policy; an Inter-Party Working Group on school choice; local government reform.
And Three-Strikes.

Promises made. Promises kept.

But we have had our differences.

The Emissions Trading Scheme. The woeful ETS.

Climate-gate has revealed one of the greatest scandals in the history of science.

It turns out that the previously prestigious agencies involved in leading climate change science were breaking official information laws. They were arbitrarily adjusting raw data, hiding the reasons for these adjustments and then somehow contriving to lose the original unadjusted data so that it could not be independently checked.

And there are some worries about our own agencies as well. In Parliament John Boscawen has been trying to get from NIWA a simple analysis of the adjustments they have made to produce a warming trend from the raw data which shows no warming.

Seems straightforward doesn’t it. Routine science. Basic record keeping.

But they won’t release that information, and now it appears the reason for that is that they can’t. They haven’t kept proper records. In other words, as far as the
New Zealand climate is concerned, the government is flying blind.

The cost to New Zealand? Over a billion dollars a year.

I have followed the UK climate-gate revelations, thinking that at least that couldn’t happen here. Now we have to wonder whether it has.

Be assured, ACT will not be silent on this issue.

The ETS must be dumped. The government promised we would follow the rest of the world on climate change policies. We are now actually leading.

New Zealand is now terribly out of step.

We have jumped the starters gun, and are hurtling down the track in a race that is most likely to be cancelled. And that will hurt us all.

Lost jobs, lower incomes.

But back to the good news.

ACT campaigned hard at the last election for tougher sentencing.

The highlight of the past year was our agreement with National to enact ACT’s Three Strikes policy.

A law that will be a huge step to getting the most violent, repeat offenders off our streets, and keeping law-abiding citizens safe.

For too long, successive governments have done nothing.

Because of ACT, the message has now been spelt out loud and clear. New Zealanders will no longer tolerate repeat violent offending.

Our thanks to David Garrett for his energy and perseverance. He came into Parliament to get Three-Strikes into law, and he will do it. Most MPs don’t achieve that much in their entire career. David’s a first term ACT MP.

And what do the critics say? What does the centre-left say?

They say Three Strikes is too tough.

Too tough! What about the victims? One strike and they are dead. Their families sentenced to a life of pain, fear and anguish.

It’s easy to avoid the Three Strikes. Stop killing and maiming innocent New Zealanders. And that’s the message this government has sent.

Three Strikes and You’re In!

A promise made. A promise kept.

New Zealanders will now be safer in our streets, in their homes and at their places of work because of your efforts in getting your friends, your neighbours and complete strangers to give their party vote to ACT.

That’s a huge achievement of which we can all be proud.

There have been many other significant achievements.

Education is central to ACT policy. ACT has long campaigned for more choice, more options, more and better information for parents and children.

That is why we support the introduction of National Standards. But we need to do more. Much more.

Last year, ACT reached agreement with National to introduce 600 Aspire scholarships. There are students now enjoying an education that just last year they and their parents could never even have dreamed of.
And that is just a start.

The Interparty Working Group of National, Maori and ACT MPs chaired by Heather Roy has recommended the government establish a taskforce to provide full school choice next year for the top five percent and the bottom 20 percent of students. ACT is championing school choice in Parliament, in government, and students are already benefiting.

ACT is directly driving improved transparency, accountability and financial management in local government.
Three principles underpin our work:

* Local government should operate within a defined fiscal envelope
* Councils should focus on core activities
* Council decision-making should be clear, transparent and accountable.

From 2013, every council will produce a pre-election financial report, giving an account of activities over the previous three years, and identify proposed items of expenditure for the next three years.

Ratepayers will know whether what they voted for was delivered and what the next lot of priorities are.

These measures will encourage well-informed debate about expenditure priorities, and electors will have a chance to put the hard questions to council candidates about past and proposed expenditure.

Remember, everything I am saying today is happening. It is not a pipe dream. It is not a promise. It’s a promise kept.

As Local Government Minister I am leading the reorganisation of local government in Auckland. We will have the new arrangements in place in time for the 2010 local body elections and we are moving fast and effectively to achieve that goal.

The new unified council for Auckland – that will be lean and focussed – will boost Auckland’s performance and that of the country.

ACT is demonstrably making a policy difference. But the most important difference we have made is not in policy but in lifting the sights of the government, and of the country. It’s because of ACT that John Key has set government’s big goal of catching Australia by 2025.

That’s the goal that Roger Douglas set for ACT and now for the country. We are saying as a country we are not satisfied with the crumbs off the Aussie’s table. We can do better. We must do better.

We haven’t just set the big ambitious goal. We established the 2025 Taskforce to report each year on how the government is doing in achieving it.

The 2025 goal and Taskforce gets our government thinking beyond the day-to-day politics to where we want to be as country in 15 years and beyond.

That’s unprecedented. A government that has set a long term ambitious goal and is every year independently reporting progress – or lack of it.

And we haven’t just set the goal. The no-nonsense report of the 2025 Taskforce provides the plan to achieve it. That’s the bold goal and the big picture. To dramatically boost New Zealand’s performance.

To do that, we need a bonfire of red tape. ACT’s Regulatory Responsibility Bill lights the blaze.

It sets out the principles of good law making and requires Ministers to declare their legislation up to scratch. It also establishes the systematic review of all existing legislation against tried and tested principles of good law making.
Better and less regulation is vital to boost New Zealand’s productivity growth, international competitiveness, living standards and human potential.

We are well underway. ACT has introduced new and improved regulatory principles and procedures to Cabinet. That’s good progress. But the country needs the Regulatory Responsibility Bill passed into law to ensure that progress.

My goal is to pass the Regulatory Responsibility Bill into law this year. It’s the single most important thing the government can do to boost New Zealand’s economic performance.

Government spending is out of control.

It needs to be reigned in. That’s why ACT is pushing hard for a fiscal cap. We need to put a lid on it. We are wanting to get the cap on this year.

And later this year a select committee will start work on ACT’s Taxpayer Rights
Bill to put the cap under taxpayer control. Another promise we will be working hard to see become law.

ACT is working too to get a New Zealand Productivity Commission up and running, it will investigate barriers to productivity and ways of improving New Zealand’s performance.

A Commission completely independent of politicians. It will be objective, independent and provide the potential for real progress on the productivity goal.

Lets come back now to the ACT vision, our ideals and values.

There is much to be done.

We can cut out wasteful government spending.

We can improve our infrastructure.

And we can certainly improve our social institutions.

And we must do all these things.

But it is entrepreneurial activity that really makes an economy grow, that generates more and better paying jobs.

This is the realm of ideas, innovation, imagination and initiative.

It’s entrepreneurs who start new businesses and new industries; who create not just new jobs, but new sorts of jobs.

Think about it.

Much of today’s economic activity didn’t exist 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

Most of us know about the remarkable story of TradeMe, and the wealth creation that resulted.

Hundreds of new on-line businesses now use TradeMe as their platform. One good idea feeds another.

Entrepreneurial activity occurs in every part of the economy.

From the couple who bought into a franchise and made it grow; to those who boldly grew a new business such as the Central Otago wine industry; or the new olive oil industry; or small companies innovating in the telecommunications or biotech industries.

You see it in the software and film industries.

And in hundreds of small businesses linked to the tourism industry.

Or those many new companies focused on fashion and design.

A theatre company, or an artist or writer, or a rock band, all are engaged in entrepreneurial activities.

These people are putting everything on the line, taking risks, backing themselves.

Government doesn’t drive these enterprises. It tags along for the ride.

This is what happens in the private sector: it is the world of work and risk-taking, of innovation, of turning ideas into businesses that employ people.

This is where new jobs and wealth creation come from.

There is plenty of excitement and vitality here. We need to ensure that our young people know it, and feel that they can be a part of it, and do well right here in this country.

Otherwise that initiative, imagination, energy and flair will be exercised in a country other than New Zealand.

In the ACT Party we embrace freedom, and its manifestation in free markets, competition, and entrepreneurship.

We want people to have a go;
we want them to succeed;
and we will celebrate that success.

Fixing the problems that this government inherited, and unleashing Kiwi initiative and our entrepreneurial spirit.

That is what I call being ambitious for this country.

For ACT is about the future. Where we can be. Not where we are.

It has been said before and it bears repeating, endlessly:

Without Vision there can be no hope.

Without Aspiration there can be no future.

ACT is about both. Vision and Aspiration.

ACT embodies the aspirations of all New Zealanders.
We can point to our successes, as I have today, and be proud of them.

And know that ACT aspires for the nation at large — not for the self-serving individual or interest groups.

The great yachtsman Peter Blake had a simple philosophy.

Before spending a single cent on a new sail or even a new photocopier or desk he would ask the fundamental question: Will this make the boat go faster?

If the answer was NO – the money was not spent.

We need to ask … will this make the good ship New Zealand a better country to live in for all New Zealanders, will this help to create jobs and higher incomes in the future.

ACT is united in a single-minded focus of making life better for one and all. That is what the focus on productivity growth represents.

That is what the 2025 Taskforce is all about. Productivity growth is the only thing that guarantees higher incomes for all.

But plenty of other aspects of policy matter.

What will make life better for one and all?
Will Three Strikes do that? — sure will.
Will our education policy do that? — sure will.
Will a more efficient health service do that? — sure will.
Will slashing red tape do that? — sure will.

Why do our opponents attack such policies?

Because these are not policies aimed at small interest groups.

These are polices aimed making the boat go faster. Policies aimed at making

New Zealand a better place to live.

We are working with National
to allow them,
to help them,
and at times such, as with opening up ACC to competition, to forcefully encourage them
to do the right thing.

So let me come back to the ACT vision for a more prosperous and socially cohesive nation.

Here is what we need to do in this country.

We face huge challenges, but we have enormous resources.
The greatest resource we have is the energy and enthusiasm, the talent and the drive of the extraordinary people that make New Zealand great.

What we have to do is unleash it.

What makes the boat go faster?

Fundamentally, it is people backing themselves and trying something new.
So the job of government, especially one as bloated and inefficient as ours, is to
get out of the way.

Stop regulating every damn thing.

Stop taking so much tax from people.

Give them choice in the education and health services they need.

Get the government out of the way.

Then hang on for the ride as we rev up.

Ignore the depressing folk who say we can never catch Australia.
Of course we can. And when we have done that, we had better start focusing on
catching our Asian neighbours.

So what can ACT guarantee to voters at the next election?

ACT can guarantee stable government – the electorate wants that, and we will have the track record to prove it.

But most importantly ACT can guarantee better government.
Much better government – and the electorate both wants and needs that.

To have a first-rate country, we need first rate policy.

That’s ACT’s promise. That’s the promise we are delivering on.
That’s why we can be confident that, 15 years on from ACT’s foundation, the best is ahead of us.

The best for ACT. The best for New Zealand.

Thank you.

ends

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