O'Connor GregGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu): I often sit here on this side of the House and wonder what world those members of the Opposition live in. Mr Woodhouse the previous speaker has just given me an idea of what world they do live in and it's not one that acknowledges there is a world outside New Zealand. I believe that his last statement was along the lines of something going on in Ukraine". It's almost like you read the newspaper and all those little side issues that you read down and there it was: Michael Woodhouse was reading the Otago Daily Times on Saturday morning and he saw that "Oh there's something going on in Ukraine." But we can ignore that because being a diligent member he will have been preparing his speech for today and he will have been ensuring as every other member of the Opposition does that he doesn't mention that there is a world outside New Zealand—a world where "something's happening in Ukraine". Mr Woodhouse there is actually a war going on in Ukraine—a war that actually potentially is going to impact the world in a way we probably haven't worked out. In fact it's a world that COVID is still taking place in—that I suspect we still haven't worked out.So those speakers in the Opposition—and I can see them diligently going through their notes—will all stand up and ensure that whatever else they talk about the only time they will mention a country or something happening outside New Zealand will be the gleeful encouragement for New Zealanders to leap on the next plane and go to Australia because from what I've heard during question time from what I have heard through every speech relating to this every New Zealander who leaps on a plane to go to Australia is a victory for the Opposition—something to be celebrated. Well actually those members of the Opposition should be very careful that they're not actually encouraging those people to head over there because that's exactly what they're doing. By taking this very myopic view—I'm not sure "myopic" is really a sufficient word but my vocabulary is limited. There will be a better one—Shakespeare will have thought of one but it doesn't come to mind. But we'll stick with "myopic" for now. The very myopic view taken by the Opposition—and I'm waiting for David Seymour's contribution. He'll take myopia to a new level because he will ensure when he does his speech—and he's either following me or a couple after that he doesn't even acknowledge that there's a place called overseas. He'll make sure he doesn't even acknowledge there is a thing called COVID because with everything he does he will point at the Minister of Finance's seat—MOF affectionately known as—and say that every ill that we have in this world everything that's gone wrong from the common cold to AIDS is the fault of the Minister of Finance. So can I invite those members—and Mr Speaker I am going to go to the bill. I can see you encouraging me to go there. Can I encourage the next speakers please to just accept that even beyond Australia there's a big wide world out there. Just in case you think somehow this paradise that we live in this pavlova paradise is somewhere where the only bad things that happen are happening in New Zealand. Look at the inflation rates from around the world. Have a look not only at what's being predicted but have a look at what's actually happening and these are not Third World countries. We sit in a pretty good place. I see New Zealand at 6.9 percent and there are only about 10 countries below us of countries that we recognise but boy there's a heck of a lot above us—countries like the United States 8.3 percent and that's just been upgraded; the European Union 8.1 percent; the United Kingdom 7.8 percent. I did read over the weekend that that's predicted to be over 10 percent come the end of the year.So we are in what you would have to describe as a fluid environment and fluid environments require a fluid response. Now once again the first two speakers on this legislation—and talking about fluidity when one does discuss bills such as this an imprest supply bill and a Supplementary Estimates bill really what we are talking about is the necessity for fluidity. Just for those who are listening at home and might be confused by some of those previous contributions I will just say that each year we have a day—this year it was 19 May—that is Budget day. That's the day that these very well-prepared departments—despite what Mr Woodhouse has said—come here. They been beavering away and they'll be beavering away now for next year's Budget. They go through particular cycles and under the information they have and the world as they understand it exists today they know what they will need. They'll go to their Ministers and their Ministers will put the case for what they need to keep their departments operating and that's what the appropriations are for—that money will be appropriated. But of course as we know we live in a very fluid environment. Now there are two ways we could do this. We can say "Right OK. Budget day is 19 May. If you didn't put your money in too bad. It's gone and we'll have to wait till next year to get that money." and that's the approach that the Opposition took pretty much in 2008. That word is "retrenchment" and that's basically what happened in 1929 during the recession. The world retrenched; the Americans retrenched. Here we had a very very conservative Government who essentially retrenched and countries only ever came out of that when they actually started spending some money. That is where we had the New Deal. That is where we had Michael Joseph Savage—whose photograph rightfully is on the walls of many a home in New Zealand because people understand just what that man and his party did at the time.So coming back to put that back: how does that actually relate to what we're talking about today? Well some things just can't wait a year and so we've got to make sure that the Minister of Finance and this Government has got the ability to make sure that we do get through this and who knows what's going to happen next? As I say this is a very fluid environment. This very chart from April 2022—an inflation chart. If there was an update now I'm sure that most of those countries will change—we know that Britain has and we know that the United States has—and so we've have to make sure we have the ability to change.Take the police for example. Since the Budget last year we've seen—and it's been brought up in this House; it's been a matter of considerable concern—a rise in gang activity shootings etc. Now it would be a terrible day if we had to say "Righto we can't really do anything about that until next year." but this Government and this Minister of Police is going to be doing a considerable amount about that and he's going to need some finance to do so. It would be terrible if he had to just wait until next year because again the losers will be those people who rely on the police for their safety and the ability to go about their lives on this—sorry was that a two-more-minutes call there was it Mr Speaker? Thank you. I wasn't—I was thinking you had your fingers the right way round. So I just want to reflect—in the time left to me—that sometimes we have options in life and I'm one of these people who go through life saying that doing nothing is rarely an option. It's sometimes an option but certainly in the times we live in doing nothing is not an option. I'm proud to be part of this Government. I reflect on really the theme underlying a lot of the criticism of this Government—again whether it be through question time or whether it be through speeches in this House it's "Boy you guys are doing these health reforms. Boy you guys are doing these water reforms. We're going to get you next year." Well the option with both is to go back to our electorates and see the pipes bursting and see the sewage going into various harbours and waterways. With health everyone knows the current health system is broken but "Let's do nothing because we might get thrown out of Parliament if we do something."Certainly if we look at the last National Government in particular essentially it did nothing and it was a safe option to take. They squandered their popularity. At the time they had a very popular Government and a very popular Prime Minister and even those staunch members across the House will admit that there was a lot of wasted opportunity. Well I'm proud to be part of a Government that does things and if we get criticised and if the things we do are unsuccessful next year by gee I want to be part of a Government that stands for doing something; not for doing nothing. So again this imprest supply bill gives us the opportunity to do things and not—as is celebrated in the Opposition—do nothing and imagine that New Zealand is just this wonderful little world. Thank you Mr Speaker."