Upston LouiseHon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō): This is a Budget that was delivered just under a week ago and already the bulk of New Zealand has forgotten about it and here's why: because there were massive expectations as we led into the election last year massive promises and then in the last month all of a sudden a big kind of U-turn—a big rewinding so that everybody's expectations dropped through the floor. So what was Budget 2018 about? Well there was a yes to diplomats but a no to cheaper doctors visits. There was a yes to more bureaucrats in the Beehive but a no to vulnerable children's camps in Roxburgh. There was a yes to a manufactured health crisis but no to assistance with long-term contraception for those on the very lowest incomes. There was a yes to more taxes and no to spending on mental health and a yes to the America's Cup but no to those on benefits.It's really hard to see who was pleased by this Budget and Shane Jones the member who just resumed his seat seemed to get a little bit excited about what they've been up to. But what he won't have told you and what he won't have told the House is the significant cut that they have made to programmes for young people who are not in long-term education employment or training. That's a massive cut for a group of people who are represented in regional New Zealand. So no Mr Jones you are not the champion of the regions because you are leaving behind the most vulnerable young people in every corner of those regions. Shame on you—shame on you for leaving them behind. It's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace that Budget 2018 would cut funding for young people who are not in education or employment or training.So I want to come to the list of those who aren't happy because the teachers aren't happy. They were promised big wage increases by those members opposite and I think they'll be disappointed. I met with a number of midwives across my electorate over the last month and they had big hopes. I don't think they were unrealistic but they're not happy now either. The day after the Budget was announced another midwife was leaving the sector. Nurses won't be happy.We've heard prison staff who are also unhappy. Nobody wants to build new prison beds but the reality is if you've got prisoners that need housing guess what? Make it safe make it humane and build them somewhere where they can get opportunities to be rehabilitated. But no they haven't delivered that either. The 1800 new police officers—well I think we've had about six different versions of how many police officers we're having now and can I tell you the public of New Zealand don't like being strung a line of all sorts of empty vacuous promises that aren't—Hon Shane Jones: Oh you mean the National Party?Hon LOUISE UPSTON: —being delivered on by that side of the House—1800 new front-line police officers is 1800. They can count Mr Jones. They can count and they are expecting that side of the House to deliver 1800.But it's also medical students and another group that are very very unhappy are those involved with Whānau Ora. So again they are those that are dealing with some of the most challenged families in New Zealand—and yes in the regions—and are they getting any additional funding? Is there any commitment? Is there any appreciation for the work they're doing? No—none at all. So they are also incredibly frustrated with this Budget. Even the Salvation Army didn't think it was a good Budget.So for all of the spending that was supposedly delivered in Budget 2018—health: there was less than we'd invested last year but supposedly there's a health crisis. So no the health sector's not happy. I'd be really hard-pressed to find anyone who thought that Budget 2018 was a great one for anyone in New Zealand because the reality is spending money is quite easy but where is the ability of this country to earn its way?You know we do have a challenge in this country in rural New Zealand with M. bovis. Having spoken to a farmer in my electorate whose farm was the first case in the Waikato they were looking for the commitment from the Government in the Budget and they couldn't find it. Biosecurity spending has gone backwards. So Mr Jones if you're going to talk about biosecurity in this House in this Budget debate at least get your facts straight. Biosecurity spending has gone down. I don't think it's that helpful to run down the rural sector of New Zealand and I think it diminishes the contribution that they make to the New Zealand economy. So shame on you for doing that.So in terms of the ability to grow the economy that's where a significant effort needs to be. So what did Budget 2018 deliver? A slush fund—not targeted not measurable and hard to see what progress it's going to make. Then from a Minister who thinks it's great that we should have more technology replacing workers and then a contradiction from another Minister who thinks that we should—oh actually no there's several contradictions. So for those doing seasonal work no we want to bring people into the country to do that work but then there are young unemployed people in that area so should they be offered the opportunity to work? Oh no they can't because it's too hard and that's where we have a conflict between a number of the coalition parties. So what did they do? They just cut the funding. They just cut the funding for the programmes in regional New Zealand for those that are not in education employment or training. Well shame on the Government for removing another opportunity for young New Zealanders who should be given an opportunity to get ahead and haven't been.So I was looking in the Budget for big spending in social development and I looked and I looked and I looked again. What was there? An undertaking that the previous Government had made around a clothing allowance for unsupported children. So that was good—we were happy with that. What else was there? Well the Families Package but that was all December's news and really just offset what people got to keep in their own back pocket anyway. So the winter energy payment was the big kind of hurrah. But again for those over 65 who get the winter energy payment by the way they're getting nearly half what they expected to get. So if that's not a broken promise to the public of New Zealand I don't know what is—$700 was the promise and what are they getting? Nearly half. So again a lesson to the other side: make sure you keep your promises or the public will punish you for that.Budget 2018 has been kind of interesting. I think the fact that most people over the weekend if you'd asked them what was in the Budget—and I did—no one really knew. No one really knew what was there and they knew there was nothing in it for them.Hon Shane Jones: Billion trees.Hon LOUISE UPSTON: They don't believe the billion trees and they don't believe the 100000 houses and they don't believe that immigration will be reduced by 20000 to 30000. They don't believe what the Government has said because already less than nine months in they've broken more promises than they've kept. They have shown a few things. You know we did know that they would be introducing new taxes; they've done that. We did know that they would increase spending without it having any focus or target; they've done that. We're waiting for what other new taxes are going to arrive. We knew they would borrow more money; they've done that. But what is surprising and what will be disappointing for hard-working New Zealanders is low-income and middle-income New Zealanders have been ripped off by this Budget. They've got nothing out of the Government. Shame on you for not delivering for hard-working New Zealanders.