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Angela d’Audney presents a programme in which studio audience members ask questions of a panel member. Tonight the public challenge the Minister of Employment, Phil Goff. One of the youngest MPs to enter Parliament, Phil Goff came from a working class background which included struggling through university with jobs in the freezing works. The main focus of his academic interest was the welfare of workers, and the relationships with their employers. His stated vision as an MP was to help build a just society. Well, in Phil’s university days, there were freezing works, and there were jobs in them for students. The Labour Party came to power in 1984 with a pre-election promise of making employment its top priority, committed to curing a sick economy. Four years down the track, Phil Goff is Employment Minister in a restructured economy where the focus is on reducing inflation. And since 1984 unemployment has doubled, with gloomy predictions of worse to come. Last night’s budget in fact assumes unemployment will rise by a further 40%, confirming those predictions that the number out of work will rise to 150,000 by next year. That document did allocate $41 million for training and for work schemes, but the continuing theme is that the Government has no place in job creation. Is this hands off approach giving us the sort of society that New Zealanders want? Our first question tonight addresses that issue.”