Clark DavidHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): I want to just acknowledge that contribution from the Hon Judith Collins and recognise the fact that it did seem to question the motivations of others. I think it's important that everyone in this House should recognise that that particular contribution was brought to you by the letter O" for Oravida. The irony of that!Well it's just one week to go to Budget 2018; eight sleeps to go. Eight sleeps to go and then we will see a Budget delivered in this House which will show a Government that is not afraid to tackle the challenging issues that is not afraid to tackle and clean up the mess that the other side of the House left behind after their time in Government. Budget 2018 will make it clear once and for all that this Government has very different priorities from the previous Government. It was already clear of course when we cancelled the tax package that was skewed towards the wealthy and put in place instead a targeted package of family support that goes to 384000 New Zealand families. That will be rolled out and will mean many families will get $75 a week more in the pocket—a targeted package that makes sure that those who need it the most are cared for. This is a Government that actually cares for New Zealanders.We care about affordable access to quality care in health. We care about education. We care about housing on this side of the House. We know that the fundamentals have been neglected for too long and that is why we are going to have a Budget that addresses that critical infrastructure; that addresses education the neglect the social neglect; that addresses the infrastructure neglect in education and health and housing. It will take more than one Budget to address it all and this is a fiscally responsible Budget that is determined to balance the books but also to address that historical neglect that we have inherited. We've got a plan to address it. We're going to get on and do it.There has been a legacy of time bombs out there left by the previous Government. Look at the workforce issues the pressures that have been building up over nine long years of underfunding in the health system: $2.3 billion worth of underfunding is what an independent economist has assessed it at. That side of the House; they didn't seem to care. Those dedicated professionals would turn up to work day after day week after week month after month. This side of the House; we do care. We will begin to make those workforces more sustainable. I met the nurses out today who were concerned about underfunding in the health system and we as a Government are determined to address that historical neglect.We are determined to address the building issues that we've inherited. Everybody knows by now in this country that there is rot and mould in some of our hospital buildings. Those problems didn't develop overnight; they developed because there was a Government previously that refused to acknowledge that those problems existed at all. I as health Minister have asked for a national asset management plan so that we can actually get a baseline across the country of all the buildings. We can prioritise them; we can address them. There is asbestos in many buildings. There are historical issues that need to be addressed and we have a plan to address them and I think this current Government will be seen to be a Government that is prioritising that addressing that historical neglect in a way that the previous Government didn't come Budget day.We will address that historical legacy of underfunding across the health sector the deficits that are building up and the health services that are now harder for New Zealanders to access than they used to be. We think New Zealanders deserve healthcare that is of a First World status.Look at the helicopters. They left the helicopters undealt with; 29 years is the average age of that fleet. We need a sustainable futureproofedservice that actually improves clinical outcomes for patients over time. We won't let things drift. We won't be afraid of tackling the hard issues. Bowel screening—they were hopelessly optimistic with bowel screening. No plan at all to address bowel screening and they just said "We'll roll it out." We are uncovering all the problems with that. We've had to instigate a review in fact—because it was so horrendous—to get to the bottom of their poor planning. We've introduced nearly as many reviews as the last Government did in their first year because we've inherited such a mess and we're determined to get on and deal with it. Mental health: New Zealanders—tens of thousands of them—called for a review of mental health and we have kicked that off because we believe we need to listen and we need to address that serious crisis. Water: up to 100000 New Zealanders every year—best estimate—are getting crook from poor water.This Government will address the hard issues. We will address the infrastructure deficits we've inherited. We'll address the service deficits we've inherited. We are a Government committed to a better future for New Zealanders—a Government that will tackle the hard issues. We've got different priorities and we will deliver for New Zealanders."