O'Connor Damien: Budget Debate 
O'Connor Damien: Budget Debate 
[Volume:647;Page:16500] 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Minister of Tourism) 
: 
 That was a typical Tory speech in this House—all tall talk from Mr Tisch and not much substance at all. The arrogance! What was his statement? He said that this Government is gone. Well I say to National members opposite that they should not take New Zealanders for granted because all that John Key does is dither while we deliver. That is the difference: John Key dithers and Helen Clark delivers. Those members should just remember that. I know that New Zealanders are smart enough to work that out for themselves. 
This Budget has been brilliant. It blew away most people because I think they did not have high expectations. They realise that we are facing some challenging economic times that oil prices have been at record levels that although commodity prices are high there has been a credit crunch and that we have a challenging international economic situation. New Zealanders did not expect a huge amount. But Michael Cullen delivered more than they expected in a way that was fair to each and every New Zealander because even those people who do not need a tax cut—even those people who are living on $150000 $250000 or $250000 like most of the people in this House—got a tax cut under Michael Cullen. But we gave the greatest percentage of tax cuts to those people who need it—those at the bottom. 
And we have done that every single year we have been in Government. We have increased the minimum wage. We have delivered bigger tax cuts by way of the Working for Families package and other forms of assistance such as lowering the cost of going to the doctor and ensuring that the lowest-income people do not pay more than 25 percent of their income in rent when living in a Housing New Zealand Corporation house. Those are the things that this Government has done for the real people in New Zealand. 
We do not believe that we need to give huge tax cuts to the wealthy. Mr Tisch says that the structure of the tax cuts was all wrong. What would he do? Would he give more to the wealthy? Is that what Mr Tisch would say? Yes it is. There is absolutely no denial because National members know they have to repay their mates for all the favours they will do for them like selling off State assets and all the things they will do to deliver to their mates if they think they should get into Government. Well New Zealanders are not as stupid as that. New Zealanders remember the 1991 Budget which really hurt them. That was the first Budget after National came into power in 1990. The National Government slashed the incomes of the most vulnerable and the most exposed and it would do that again. 
Lindsay Tisch says that the structure of the tax cuts was all wrong because it did not deliver enough for his wealthy mates and it gave too much to the people who need it. Well tough I say to Mr Tisch. I think New Zealanders are fair-minded and if he thinks he can go around saying that this Government is gone well I can assure him that that kind of arrogance will be dealt to by New Zealanders at the next election. Labour will just get on and manage this country in the way we have done so successfully for the last 8½ years. We have reduced—we have slashed—unemployment we have increased income for the most exposed and we have given tax cuts to those people at the bottom through Working for Families. 
We have given tax cuts to companies. In spite of all the ranting and raving by National Party members they voted against tax cuts for companies. They voted against tax cuts for the poor and they did not deliver tax cuts for anyone in their whole time of 9 years in Government—not for anyone. So it is absolutely duplicitous of them to stand in this House and say they advocate tax cuts. New Zealanders do not believe them. They do not believe John Key either. All John Key’s promises have evaporated in uncertainty in hesitation or in flip-flops that have left this country wondering just what National does stand for. What policy can it possibly put on the table to challenge what we are doing for this economy? 
Sandra Goudie 
: Ha ha! 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: They are laughing. Well I am sure that every New Zealander in this country laughs whenever they hear something from the National Party because within a day a week or half a day sometimes of course there will be a flip-flop on it.  
We know that the truth is that Kate Wilkinson a new member of the House and an honest member exposed exactly what that bunch of Tories would do to superannuation and KiwiSaver. They would slash them by reducing the contribution from central government because the Tories will need that money to pay for their tax cuts for the wealthy. That is the most outrageous thing so I will do everything possible right up to election day to make sure that people know what to expect if they consider that National should run this country ever again. 
National members have not changed but Labour on the other hand has delivered. We have not dithered; we have delivered. We have put money into rural broadband and into broadband across the nation in a way that works with the current telecommunications system. We have not undermined the current system like John Key’s promise would. He has promised nirvana through a promise of $1.5 million which he will probably never ever deliver that would tip the whole telecommunications system on its ear and would just hand to Telecom in one big fat cheque a nice big fat profit. We know that Telecom will not get out there and deliver for New Zealanders; we will have to incentivise the whole telecommunications system in order to deliver us a world-class broadband system. We have a long way to go but our funding and commitment to one-for-one at least means that we will make progress in that area. 
The tourism industry promises the world “100% Pure New Zealand” and we had a choice of whether we would spend more money marketing or whether we would spend more money ensuring that the “100% Pure New Zealand” promise was delivered on. We have a spectacular country we have amazing scenery and we have wonderful wildlife but we also have an impact on the environment. The growth in tourism that we have enjoyed represents a 61 percent growth in visitor numbers since we came to power in 1999. Those extra people have an impact on the environment and if we do not spend on infrastructure then there is a risk that the “100% Pure New Zealand” brand will not be delivered on by the tourism industry. That is why in the Budget we committed money to things like rail and public transport. That is why we committed $40 million to help small communities with sewerage schemes. That is why we continue to deliver additional funding for rural health services—to ensure that those visitors are well protected are cared for and will get their “100% Pure New Zealand” experience. 
Lindsay Tisch can rant all he likes but companies in the tourism industry have had a tax cut. The rate is down to 30 percent but National voted against that reduction. There is an “h” word for that action and that is exactly what those members are when it comes to tax cuts. People in the tourism industry appreciate the fact that their companies have had a tax cut. They appreciate that this Government has committed to infrastructure that will underpin the “100% Pure New Zealand” national tourism brand and will provide the infrastructure to drive this economy be it broadband rail or transport and roading. Every single key area of infrastructure that was run down under the previous National Government—or flogged off of course—we have had to upgrade and bring back to First World standards. That has cost us a fortune. 
I guess that National—although it would not admit it—would sell Air New Zealand and sell all the State-owned enterprises just to pay for tax cuts for their wealthy mates. If that were to happen it would be outrageous. It is not the Kiwi way. New Zealanders will not consider that fair. If National members were ever honest enough—like Kate Wilkinson has been—to stand up and say what they would do if they ever got into Government again then I think that New Zealanders will make a very wise judgment. They will realise that in the end through this Budget and previous Budgets under this Government we have reinvested in this economy and we have reinvested in our people in our infrastructure and in our future in a way that those Tories have neither the ability nor the will to deliver on. They lack vision and they lack motivation. While John Key dithers Helen Clark delivers. I stand behind each and every member of our party and what we can do for this country into the future and New Zealanders will know that the National Party—the Tories—will never deliver because they have no vision and they have no hope. Kia ora.