1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterCHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Acting Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Acting Prime Minister: Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Acting Prime Minister): Fa'afetai tele lava. Yes. Today the draft Advanced Manufacturing Industry Transformation Plan was launched at the EMEX trade show in Auckland. The advanced-manufacturing sector is not only our largest contributor to exports accounting for 73.5 percent of goods exports; it accounts for more than 10 percent of both our economy and workforce. This plan works in partnership with business to increase investment in new technology and processes to lift productivity exports and wages; better support innovation research and development; and work to reduce waste and emissions and attract and develop a diverse high-skilled and high-wage workforce.Christopher Luxon: Can he confirm this Government has overspent every operating allowance it has set itself for five Budgets in a row?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I can confirm is the Government is invested in making up for the nine long years of neglect from the National Party and the member might care to remember the arrival of a certain thing called COVID in the middle of all of that.Christopher Luxon: Is it correct that this Government has overspent its operating allowances by an average of $2.7 billion per Budget and if so does he plan to overspend next year's operating allowance as well?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I can confirm is that this Government has made sure that New Zealand has kept one of the lowest levels of public debt in the OECD has been able to both run surpluses and then once we reached COVID manage down deficits to a low level compared with the rest of the world. We've also seen strong average annual growth. Each year the Government has to assess the expenditure that it needs to undertake such as making sure that we invest in health making sure that we invest in education. The outcomes matter and New Zealand has one of the strongest economies in the world.Christopher Luxon: Can he confirm reports that Government spending excluding COVID support has increased by nearly 10 percent per year between 2020 and the latest Budget?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I can confirm is that Government spending coming off the back of a one-in-100-year economic shock has been at around 35 percent of GDP. That is a very similar percentage to what the previous National Government did in the face of the global financial crisis and in the Budget we have the projections we will return to around the long-run average of 30 percent of GDP.Christopher Luxon: Why should New Zealanders believe his finance Minister when he promises to limit non-COVID spending increases next year to less than half of recent increases?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: My finance Minister is a modest person who wouldn't want to blow his trumpet in the way that the member is inviting him to do. What we do know is that the IMF the OECD Standard & Poor's and Moody's have all come assessed the New Zealand economy and said that we have come through COVID stronger than almost any other country in the world.Christopher Luxon: Does he agree with economist Cameron Bagrie that this Government's Budget documents now face credibility challenges because spending projections are becoming ridiculously disconnected from recent spending reality" and if not why not?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Again the Government's Budget is based on Treasury's projections and forecasts as every Government's Budget has been in New Zealand's history. We rely on those forecasts and again I repeat our record coming off the back of these Budgets is that our net debt level is lower than almost any other country in the world that we have had average annual growth over 5 percent and that we've got unemployment down to 3.2 percent. If the member wants outcomes those are good outcomes.Christopher Luxon: How can New Zealanders have any confidence his finance Minister will be able to help himself from overspending next year an election year when he's spent more than he said he would every year he's been in Government?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I'm really interested to note that the Leader of the Opposition's definition on overspending is actually investing in a health system that delivers for New Zealand—is actually investing in an education system—and what we have from the Opposition is the continuation of the Bermuda Triangle where they somehow think they can cut taxes reduce debt and increase spending. Just today Mr Luxon said he wanted to increase defence spending. Where's that money coming from Mr Luxon?Kieran McAnulty: Does he stand by this Government's record investment in schools which has recently funded a covered courtyard in Pahiatua School who are with us here today?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Yes I do stand by that and in fact the excellent advocacy of the MP for Wairarapa was a significant factor in that occurring."