Yesterday in the House Brownlee made it clear the government is getting close to throwing in the towel on Key’s fundamental purpose of government.
Hansard below.
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour-Hutt South) to the Minister for Economic Development: Why, when he replied “Yes” to whether he had targets or milestones to achieve income parity with Australia by 2025, will he not share those milestones with New Zealanders?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Economic Development) :In the answer I gave to the question that the member refers to, I shared my first target. That target was to remove the millstones from around the neck of the New Zealand economy placed on it by the previous Labour Government. Today I would like to share two other targets. My second target is to assist the Government’s programme to undertake comprehensive economic reform of the New Zealand economy. A third target is to rebalance the economy towards export-led growth. If we are successful in achieving these targets, we will achieve the Government’s milestone of achieving income parity with Australia by 2025.
Hon Trevor Mallard: Did he or his office give Steven Joyce, answering on his behalf yesterday, an answer that included the words “brush off”?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Yes.
Hon Trevor Mallard: Is closing the wage gap with Australia the fundamental purpose of this Government?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: The fundamental purpose of this Government is to make life better for New Zealanders. Closing the income gap with Australia over a period of time will certainly contribute to that.
Hon Trevor Mallard: Is closing the wage gap with Australia the fundamental purpose of this Government, as the Prime Minister said it was?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: In the last couple of days we have had a number of specifics attributed to the Prime Minister that have been picked out of an entire, one would say, speech or the outlining of a plan. Closing the income gap with Australia is very, very important for this Government. It is a long-term aspiration goal, and everything that we are doing in rebalancing the economy, in reorganising the economy, is aimed at getting a better deal, a better life quality, for all New Zealanders.
Hon TREVOR MALLARD: Does he know that 23 percent more Australian companies than New Zealand companies plan to lift their wage and salary levels this year, and that double the number of Australian firms plan to increase staff levels, and will this increase or decrease the wage gap with Australia?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I do not have responsibility for that sort of speculation. But I will say the suggestions made by Mr Mallard, if they are correct, simply serve to show what an extremely ambitious target the Government has and that we have to stick to the plan we have put in place to achieve it.
Long term aspirational goal ?
Does the Minister expect to see it in his lifetime.
When I came back from Australia I got quite a wage rise working in NZ at the same sort job. And that was Australian big city wages . Pity then the national Party won the next 3 elections and gave us such economic nonsense as the Mother of all budgets , The Employment contracts Act, etc.
And Gerry was a part of that Government.
Trev go back to the wage gap that opened up during that era and pin Gerry down with the numbers – it usually makes his head explode
N
PLAN 
!
N
SURPRISE 
!
Echo
specifics attributed to the prime minister that have been picked out of an entire, one would say, speech ….OR THE OUTLINING OF A PLAN…
forgive an ignorant tradesman, but is brownlie suggesting that we should treat don’s(key) plans as meaningless?
There is a plan. It is here:
http://www.act.org.nz/plan
I think T.M. was implying that there is no plan, not that there is no fantasy
Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
You crack me up Gooner
Good to see you 
Have noticed Labour have decided to hone in on this Australia thing the past couple of weeks. Keyword their PR company have obviously said to use: “fundamental”.
Bound to work just like the attacks on John Keys blind trust.
Good luck.
Ask Estonia Gooner , they ‘tried it ‘.
When Ruth Richardson gave her advice and they followed it, this years numbers are -13% drop in real GDP
Gooner had to chuckle at this one
Limit Cabinet to 12 ministers Better decisions sooner. Fewer baubles of office has anyone told Rortney?
Great 12 Ministers
, Minister of Arts and Booze 
A, Spuddy PM
1, Finance – Loota Deputy PM
2, Education – Paul
3, Health – Any takers?
4, Social Welfare and women’s affairs – A Mother
5, Agriculture, Fisheries and RWC – waterboy
6, Economic development – Dylan –
7, Foreign Affairs, Trade and bollywood issues – Ianmac
8, Justice, Corrections and other courty stuff – Tracey?
9, Transport – jarbury?
10, Conservation and Energy – Greenfly?
11, Tourism and youth affairs – Ella? Huh huh?
I recovered it from spam Spud – our system is allergic to too many smiley faces Trevor
Darn – my comment floated away
Thanks Trev
@ Dave 5.38am fundamental was Key’s description.
I’ll back you to the hilt, Prime Minister Spuddy
Did you honestly expect the right-wing National party to come up with **ANY** plan?
Their plan, since the 1920’s (when they were still Reform/United) is to sit back and leave it to the market.
Anyway, Mr Gooner, perhaps instead of commissioning several hundred thousand dollars in getting the puppet your party tried to put in power in 2005 to come up with the task force report, you could have saved them the job and just emailed that link instead.
I did reply to you Spud – I’m with you all the way!!!
I’ll takeit, I’ll be a one termer cos I’ll take the party down with me as I implement stuff known to work rather than stuff not known to work which people want…
@Tracey
!!!
@Loota – thanks
I have a nasty feeling that the NACT’s are taking the piss !
This is just ridiculous. Do nothing, don’t implement any real policies and by God you’ll ride high in the polls.
Are the rest of NZ asleep, or just so apathetic about politics that this sort of nonsense is tolerated ??
Well done for pointing out such a gaping hole in the government’s agenda, I think this combined with positive plans from Labour (hint to the Labour policy team: I’d like to see an expansion of Kiwisaver so savings are up, more Kiwis can buy their own homes and N.Z. has a pool of investment capital) would give the centre left a fighting chance next year.
Catching up with Australia , isnt the only thing Gerry is lagging behind in.
There is his website with media and speeches list
The latest item is dated September 2009
If theres no one home its time to turn out the lights
But wait … theres more. Here is a picture of Gerry holding the youth parliamentarians at bay from the morning tea table at Premier House
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nznationalparty/4770931460/in/set-72157601106796852/
The young’uns look impressed enough
Flash digs.
were they from national seats? That would exolain why he didnt throw them down the stairs
@ Spud – Sounds good to me! Can we chuck in Sport and Recreation too?
@Gooner: and let’s not forget Sir Roger’s “I’m entitled” quip.
@Spud: where does ICT fit in? Count me in for that.
@Pete Sime: You’re right, savings policy is a clear point of difference. David Cunliffe was on record discussing the possibility of a new DFC-type organisation – one that’s learnt from past mistakes.
@Ella – yee haa welcome to the team
! Yes we can throw them in!
@DeepRed – Okay you can have ICT – you can be lucky 13
I saw Cunliffe on The Nation he was great.
Also great to have Tracey on the team
BTW Tracey a Barrister hit on me tonight 
Disgusting behaviour from National. Once they started using the phrase “brush-off” I knew – we have hit a new low.
John Key – what is your plan?
The “brush-off” brings to mind the time when Nigel Lawson, Maggie Thatcher’s finance minister, proudly announced that Britain didn’t have an energy policy. And subsequently pissed away his nation’s North Sea oil revenues where Norway invested them back in itself.
They are starting to drill in promising areas offshore in NZ . Will we follow the Norwegians in keeping the income in NZ or will it go overseas, in a flood that will make a few Chinese owned diary farms seem risible.
Spud gentle warning this is not a chat room. Please at least attempt to make substantive comment. Trevor
The Q&A response in Parliament was a great example of NACT arrogance and a demonstration of ineffective moderation by the Speaker. Brownlee and,later Wong,need to be made to answer questions accurately and in a comprehensible manner. Neither made any sense or offered any representation of understanding of the questions put to them.