on New Zealand. We simply can't support this report. I call the
Hon
can into, I'm pleased to have the opportunity to speak Hear in
this debate on the
opportunity to speak Hear in this debate on the report of the
Finance and Expenditure
and Expenditure Committee, released on 14 December. Can I pay tribute
to the Budget Policy
Statement and the seamless way in which it has
happened on the first
100 days of the Government benches. I would like
to applaud ourselves for the
work we've done. First of all, I need to
give my condolences
to Mark Mitchell over there. Mark, you
were our choice, you were our choice. One
of the good guys on the other side...
Mr Jackson. Yes, yes, I'm coming
to it... No, no, you come to
it now. Right now. Hang on, it's only
appropriate that I give my
condolences to Mitchell
appropriate that I give my
Well, speak to the document. I've been offended in the last hour
with the rubbish I've kept
hearing about, for instance, about jobs. And the
waffle about how things were
tracking so well in terms of the
National Party and the
way that the stats have come down. We're very
proud of the way the stats are
coming down too but you can't pat
yourself on the
bat as Mitchell Mitchell Mitchell
yourself on the bat as Mitchell
doing. When you have Maori struggling with
job advertised as a job when you do one hour a week and we have the
Hon Judith Collins waffling
on about how well the
well the previous Government has done. That's not reality, sir.
That's just nonsense. That's just
nonsense. And this Government,
Mr Speaker, into investing into
real jobs and into the people. They're
not into investing into our mates,
into our mates. That's
the difference with this Government,
sir. We're not going to give
tax cuts to our mates to avoid
investment in health. It's
clear. The statement is clear. We're going
to actually invest in the people. So
I'm pleased with where we're
going on this. I think we're on track
in terms of building an economy where
everyone can benefit. Marama
Davidson from the Greens mentioned
a couple of areas that I think our
Budget Policy Statement talks about,
particularly in the healthy
Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill, passed in November, sir,
which sets minimum standards for rentals. Maori,
in particular, will benefit in that. We
have the type of sicknesses we're getting for some of our
kids and that in South
Auckland. We're actually going to invest in
the healthy homes. It
is fantastic. Other features of our
plan which has been coming out, restarting
contributions to the super fund, a
ban on overseas speculators buying
existing homes, the tax working
group student allowances, a
directive of Housing New Zealand
to stop the sale of
directive of Housing New Zealand to
on and on, sir. This has all been happening in the 100 days, the Pipe
River inquiry, the inquiry
into the abuse of children
in state care. This is what this country wanted. We
didn't want just waffle. We
wanted investment in terms of our people
That member over there, he knows what I'm saying that this
is a Government that will invest
in families
Government that will invest in
Package is something that esoutstanding...
esoutstanding...
..something that that member and his mates forgot about in the
previous nine years. I'm proud of
the package, I'm proud that
the package delivers a significant boost to the
incomes of
families, many of whom have been struggling, Mr Speaker,
under a National Government who were fixated
on investing into their
their mates. The sad part of that, sir, is that
data tells us that the richest
Government should be ashamed of. We're going to change things.
We're going to try and set up a
more equitable society for
everyone where we're not just going to look
at the stats
we're not just going to look at the
at equity and equality for women, for Maori, for the disabled, for
people right across the spectrum.
Today, sir, I am proud to stand up
and support our Government, who is
absolutely on track at the moment.
Melissa Lee. Thank you, Mr Speaker, there's a theme whereby
Melissa Lee. Thank you, Mr Speaker, there's a theme whereby the
Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson,
points out that