Parker DavidBUDGET DEBATEDebate resumed from 26 May on the Appropriation (2020/21 Estimates) Bill. Hon DAVID PARKER (Attorney-General): It's been a very bored looking crowd in the gallery today I have to say. This year's Budget was delivered by the Hon Grant Robertson during a time of unprecedented global financial and health crisis. I think it's a Budget that he can be rightly proud of delivered at a time of great challenge in the world and to have the confidence to deliver such a forward-looking Budget says a lot of how he has assumed the role as an outstanding Minister of Finance.That confidence to deliver such a profound forward-looking Budget comes from the knowledge that this Government—made up of the Labour Party; our coalition party New Zealand First; and our support party the Greens—had before the COVID crisis reduced Government debt. As page 28 of the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update shows we had reduced net Government debt to 19 percent of GDP. We had reduced unemployment. Unemployment had come down from 4.7 to 4 percent. We had real wage growth that was the best that New Zealanders had experienced for a decade and we had growth rates in New Zealand higher than in Australia the United States Japan the United Kingdom and higher than the average in Europe. So we went into this crisis in a strong position and it is that strong position that has enabled this Government to bring forward such a forward-looking Budget.Now we know—I think at least on this side of the House we share a celebration with the effort and commitment that has been shown by 5 million New Zealanders to largely—not completely—overcome the first challenge presented by COVID-19. And you would expect that everyone in this House would be celebrating that but I have to say that there's one side that doesn't seem to be smiling that much about it. Maybe it's the time of year but it seems that the only thing that they have in their garden to suck on during this lockdown was lemons—lemons.Hon Amy Adams: Come on David you're better than this.Hon DAVID PARKER: Gone is the party—I'm better than this am I? Well I will congratulate the former National Party. I can't imagine that that would have been the response of John Key and Bill English. They were optimistic they were ambitious for their country and they used to celebrate success. But they're long gone and the people that have succeeded them are of a completely different ilk.We are coming out of this lockdown ahead of virtually anyone else in the world. There's one or two other countries that have done as well as New Zealand but not many—you can count them on less than one hand—and there's lots of other countries who are suffering from a worse health outcome and are suffering for a longer period of economic damage. On this side of the House we think that is something to celebrate and we are pleased with the supports that we have managed to give to those businesses in the economy who have suffered as a consequence of the decline in economic activity caused by the virus. And let's not forget that is caused by the virus. Government policy has helped the country get through this challenge faster than most other countries but none the less we are suffering those consequences as well.Now the standout measure I think of support for businesses has been the many tens of thousands of businesses who have taken up the subsidy that has enabled them to keep trading and to keep more of their employees engaged—$12 billion has been spent on that scheme and that vast majority of it is going to New Zealand - owned businesses. Of that $12 billion $5 billion at least has gone to small businesses including sole traders. And the Opposition only had to look at the website where every one of those businesses are listed transparently and they would have seen that it is the small businesses that they say that they're worried about that have been the recipients of that taxpayer funding that has helped them at both a business and individual level.I've been surprised to hear the first question from the Leader of the Opposition assert that there has been no support for small business because every one of those small businesses—and there are tens of thousands listed on the website—have been a direct recipient of those billions of dollars of support and I cannot understand how the Leader of the Opposition made that mistake yesterday. Perhaps it was because it was at the end of a very long day even though by that time it was only 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I have to say as I watched Newshub last night it was like watching a disaster series going back to the 1970s calamity movies that we used to see—The Poseidon Adventure is one that comes to mind the roaring inferno. There were more twists and turns in that one story on Newshub than you often see in a multi-episode series on TV these days.What happened? Well maybe in the last we had a good start—maybe. Maybe a good start for him; not so sure it was a good start for the National Party.Kieran McAnulty: Bring back Simon.Hon DAVID PARKER: Well Bring back Simon." Bring back Bridges—bring back Bridges. I have heard that that is a theme that is coming to get a bit of currency on the other side. But anyway he first said straight after that that Simon Bridges was considering his future and Simon Bridges said "No I'm coming back."He then had his first serious interview which was on Q+A with Jack Tame and he wouldn't commit to anything. He said "Well you've got the job; what's your plan?" And he wouldn't give one because he hasn't got one. So what did he say? By the end he was pinned as wanting to borrow less but spend more. It wasn't a very good start from the Leader of the Opposition and maybe that's why on his way into caucus—his first caucus as Leader of the Opposition—that he actually lost his way a bit. The mistakes that were made on the way into that caucus—look I've never seen it. I've been here for a while. I was here when Don Brash took over the National Party. That was a time of real backbiting. There was real division within the National Party. We had our share of that when we were Opposition too—we've been through this. We came through it—we came through it very strongly but you can see they're just at the start of this in the National Party can't you?What happened? Well we had "Ngāti Epsom" and then the deputy leader of the National Party having dropped her leader in it went away to check came back and said "Yes he's Ngāti Porou." and he then said "No I'm not." It was all on camera. Then we saw Judith Collins and Paula Bennett leave the caucus at the same time and Paula Bennett bitterly—I think she is another person who's got lemons in the back garden; very bitter—said "Well Judith Collins' contribution is obviously more important than mine."—clear reference to her demotion. And then we had: what was the highest-ranking Māori within the National Party?Hon Member: Goldsmith.Hon DAVID PARKER: No no it was Shane Reti all of a sudden. After they got over the mistake of "Ngāti Epsom" they actually said it was Shane Reti. Unfortunately then they realised he was at number 17. Now I've got a lot of time for Shane Reti. I think he's a very competent member of Parliament and a genuinely nice person but I did feel a bit sorry for his sort of very temporary elevation to the front bench.So if I could return to some of the other positives that are in this Budget. In addition to the $12 billion that has been spent into the economy which we really did get out the door quickly and I really thank Government officials for their assistance in both the design and the delivery of that. I know that there were teams of people working throughout New Zealand throughout the COVID lockdown to actually get that money into the pockets of New Zealanders and they did exceptionally well but we've got a lot of other things to support the economy here. This is not a financial crisis in the sense of the global financial crisis; this is a collapse in consumption and demand. The collapse in demand also affects production and so we're facing around the world difficulties.In the face of that one of the roles of Government is to support consumption and demand so that you don't get into a downward spiral and that's what this Budget most certainly does. It takes a leaf out of the lesson of the first Labour Government. We're not going to get into this perilous downward spiral. We're going to lift the fortune of New Zealanders and we're going to do as well economically as we have so far in overcoming the health challenges. Congratulations Grant Robertson."