Heatley Phil: Budget Debate 
Heatley Phil: Budget Debate 
[Volume:654;Page:4147] 
Hon PHIL HEATLEY (Minister of Fisheries) 
: 
 It is widely known now because I hear it on the radio through the television and as I walk around the New Zealand community—including not least of all in the Whangarei electorate—that Budget 2009 as announced by the finance Minister the Hon Bill English takes steps to ensure that Kiwis are cushioned from the sharpest edges of the worst global recession since the 1930s. For some months now it has been put into perspective how serious this recession is and how deep it has become in some areas of the world—and is yet to become in New Zealand as it runs its course. 
As a Government that was coming into office we were keenly aware that many New Zealanders and their families were exposed and would continue to be exposed to the effects of this recession. We did not want to see those families put under unnecessary pressure as a result of our actions. Rather we wanted to see how we could cushion them as much as possible from the effects of the recession. That was why earlier this year and again in this Budget we decided that we would invest heavily in infrastructure. 
The first tranche of that investment was the immediate infrastructure investment that we announced some months ago firstly into education secondly into transport and thirdly into housing. In the Budget announcements last week the Minister of Finance talked about the $323 million home insulation and clean-heating campaign whereby we will see many thousands of New Zealanders insulate their homes better and heat them more effectively. Before that campaign was announced some months ago the announcement of the $124 million investment into State housing was made and $104 million of that was invested into the upgrading of State housing. The reason why we decided to invest heavily in State housing as a first tranche of infrastructure investment was that we realised that State housing has fallen into serious disrepair and that many tenants are living in quite dreadful conditions. Many of the living conditions are not just untidy but also cold damp and unhealthy. It is our hope—and we are seeing that hope being borne out—that the $104 million investment will see more State houses that are insulated under the floor and in the ceiling and more with clean and sensible heating. 
On top of that upgrade is the boost to the net number of new State houses that are to be introduced in this current financial year. That number will rise to somewhere between 525 and 550. Well some of those 525 to 550 new State houses in this financial year will come of course from the 69 houses announced in that infrastructure package. I was delighted to update the House by saying it looks as though we will be able get 86 extra State houses making up the net figure of 525 to 550 new State houses in this financial year. 
It was a delight to roll out an infrastructure package in housing to the State housing sector. We did it because of the seriously dilapidated state of the houses but also because ultimately the taxpayer owns State houses. We hold all the levers. The upgrades we did generally did not require a building consent and therefore we were able to do them immediately. When one holds all the levers one can do it immediately and that was the thinking behind that investment in State housing earlier this year. 
Now we move to the Budget announcement which the Minister of Finance made recently. With help from the Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee we have a $300 million - plus home insulation and clean-heating campaign. I am pleased that we have moved our focus from the State housing sector to houses generally and that we are including investment into privately owned accommodation. Many houses that were built pre-1978 or pre-2000 are not effectively insulated and effectively heated. Many of the people who live in those houses are from a lower socio-economic group in New Zealand society and many of them are under huge pressure especially those with larger families. To have warm heated homes where the electricity used for heating is not wasted through the ceilings or the floors is very sensible because those larger families in lower socio-economic situations cannot afford to pay the health bills. They cannot be expected to deal with the suffering that comes from the ill health that is constantly visited on a family because of the conditions they live in. So we are delighted—and I know the Prime Minister John Key is delighted—to have announced the $323 million home insulation and clean-heating fund. 
I also acknowledge the work of the Green Party towards seeing that particular proposal be put through the House. Both the Green Party and the Maori Party talked to me about housing issues and the issues of poor insulation and poor home heating and I know there were many more in-depth conversations with the Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee and indeed the Prime Minister himself. This is something that we are delighted to be able to do for New Zealand in this Budget. I thank the Maori Party and I thank the Green Party for their work. 
Another example of infrastructure spending—and one could argue that it is in the transport area—is the $50 million investment into a national cycleway. This is an idea that the Prime Minister spoke about earlier this year which Labour members mocked. Firstly Labour mocked the $50 million cycleway as an idea. Labour said that putting $50 million into a national cycleway was a stupid idea. Secondly once Labour members realised that New Zealanders actually thought that it was a good idea they decided that they better not mock it as being a bad idea. Labour decided to mock the fact that it would ever happen; they said the Nats would never get $50 million to put into a cycleway. Well guess what happened? We are putting that amount into a cycleway. [ 
Interruption 
] So now the Labour members are all at sea because as they shout to me from the other side of the House they are reaching out for something else to mock when it comes to the national cycleway. John Key the Prime Minister has delivered $50 million to go towards the development of a national cycleway which Labour members mocked as an idea. They mocked it by saying the money would never come and they are now reaching for other reasons to mock it. What a disgrace! 
Why is it that a National Government can not only increase the number of State houses but upgrade State houses and better manage State houses when one would expect a Labour Government to look after State house tenants? All that the previous Labour Government could do was increase the number of State houses and increase the number of people who were living in squalor. Why is it that a National Government can come up with a smart idea like a national cycleway and fund it in a recession yet all that the previous Labour Government could do was pay lip-service to the Greens over 9 years and never deliver anything like that? Why is it that National can work with the Greens the Maori Party ACT and United Future when Labour can do none of that? That is the biggest surprise in this Budget: that during a recession the National Government is delivering more to Labour supporters than the members on the other side of the House ever did when they were in Government.