O'Connor Damien: Budget Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
O'Connor Damien: Budget Debate 
[Sitting date: 29 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2605. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Labour—West Coast - Tasman) 
: 
 After that speech I am going to have a talk to my colleague Phil Twyford and say that we do need the Hamilton expressway because that member clearly needs to get out of Hamilton more often and into the real world. He is kidding himself with most of the facts or most of the claims he made in that speech.  
The Budget was next to useless. It was a failed and failing Budget from a Government that is doing the same failing. In fact there will be many comments made on the Budget but perhaps one of the best I have seen is one that said it was so bad that even the Queensland fruit fly would want to go back home. I think that is true. The 50000 people who are now going to Australia every year are helping this Government. They are certainly reducing the unemployment figures; no doubt about that. But the sad fact is they are leaving because they have no hope for the future in this country and that is a sad indictment on 4 years of a National Government on four Budgets that have failed to deliver any vision whatsoever for this country.  
What it has done is costed everything and valued nothing—costed every single thing nickel and dime everything even to the point of squeezing paper boys. Look back at the people we are talking about. These are young boys and girls up and down this country who often get up early in the morning come rain hail or shine get on their bikes and go out and deliver papers to people who get out of bed and there is the paper at the front door. Their work ethic their commitment to the job is one that inspires every New Zealander who appreciates getting their paper in the morning. What has Bill English done? The mean-spirited failing Minister of Finance has said: “We will take tax off them.” because probably once a year they would look forward to a tax refund of about 200 bucks.  
I lived out in the country so I could not do it but I can remember talking to friends who would get that money and that was a huge bonus—the inspiration for a year’s commitment. Bill English has scuttled them. And why? Well because in 2009 the Government gave billions of dollars in tax cuts to the most wealthy in this country. The Government cut $13 million from Adult and Community Education at a time when it knew there were going to be people put on the unemployment scrap heap. The Government knew there were going to be people who needed to upskill and find some inspiration. No the Government chopped it for $13 million and gave billions of dollars to people who probably for the most part did not even notice the increase in their income. 
Andrew Little 
: Didn’t need it. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: They did not need it. They did not need it and then of course to top it off National increased GST which is the most regressive tax arguably that we have. The more people have to spend to live the more GST they pay. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Who brought it in in the first place? Who then increased it? 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: Bill English and Mr Williamson there because he is one of them—that member over there had to bring in a whole swag of Miss New Zealand entrants to try to find some inspiration because he got nothing from the Budget. I hope it perked you up a little bit Mr Williamson.  
Can I say that there are a couple of areas that I would like to focus on. They are quite weighty documents I have to say. Thanks to the help of my colleagues and we all worked through our own parts I ended up having read through the primary industries one—and I will go back to that—being notified about the economic development and infrastructure section which is an oxymoron from the National Government I have to say. I went through the area of energy and found a line item that has decreased that epitomises this Government and everything it stands for—that is a whole lot of promises and no delivery. John Key promised that money would not be an issue and that everything that could be done would be done to get the 29 miners out of Pike River. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: And he did. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: No he did not. Mr Auchinvole might—that is an absolute lie. Can I say to back up what the Government has done it has cut the $5 million— 
Chris Auchinvole 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am surprised and I do not wish to engage in the indelicate nature of the way that the member is speaking but I do not take being called a liar. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I did listen very very carefully. The member who was speaking Mr O’Connor said that that is a lie. He did not accuse the member of being a liar. It is a fine point. I just advise the member not to take those liberties because it does bring disorder. I am not upholding it but I am not commending the member for the way he spoke either. 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: I do appreciate the Standing Orders and the fine line. But some things are untrue and I have to say them in that way. I am not accusing anyone. I am saying that if anyone claims that everything was done then that is a lie because it has not been. The $5 million that has been allocated for the recovery of the Pike River miners has been chopped from the energy budget and that now is left to Solid Energy perhaps—or who else we do not know perhaps a trust that the Government is trying to set up—to try to fund the recovery. Where is John Key’s commitment? Where is National’s commitment? They made a song and dance about it at the time. I have to say a lot of people hung their hopes on that. I welcomed that commitment. But like so many other things promises of jobs promises of economic growth and promises of growth and innovation the National Government has simply not delivered. 
 Well the previous member got up and said there was growth in every quarter. It is more likely there was a quarter of the growth in every quarter because of every single figure that John Key or Bill English have put up in terms of job numbers and job creation none of those targets have been met. I suggest that none of the targets in this Budget will be met either. It is a zero Budget—a zero Budget—because National did not want to make any promises. It wanted to have estimates and forecasts but no promises because it has not delivered—it has not delivered—on any promises to this.  
The four objectives could be summarised in one word: sell sell sell sell. Four State-owned enterprises—sell them. Why? Because John Key and this Government have promised their mates on the New Zealand Exchange that they will deliver them a bundle of toys so they can go and play with them. The Government will give its mates some shares to trade—blue-chip shares so they will hang around for a wee while. But we know that ultimately every one of those State-owned enterprises and all of those mums and dads’ shares—in fact the promise to have mums and dads at the front of the queue is also a lie. It is a lie because it cannot be delivered and the Government has stated so very quietly—very quietly. It cannot deliver on the promise that mums and dads will be at the front of the queue. That is a lie and it should be stated in this House because we have an obligation as the Opposition to identify the untruths the failed promises and the failed commitments of this Government. We have got a plan going forward and it needs growth in the primary sectors.  
We have seen in the next lot of documents in the primary sector cutbacks to biosecurity funding. In a number of areas we have seen cutbacks. Can I say that I am horrified at $6.8 million in so-called cost savings in biosecurity policy. We then have a $5 million reduction in domestic biosecurity surveillance. The very system that picked up the Queensland fruit fly is going to be cut. And this is the Government that claims it has a vision. Actually I do not know whether it has claimed that. Perhaps that is a lie. I do not want to say that. I do not think it has ever claimed to have a vision. I do not think it has ever done that. It says it has a plan. Well the plan is about selling State-owned enterprises it is about squeezing teachers at schools it is about trying to break unions and dumb down labour policy and it is about robbing kids who deliver papers. I am sure that every MP when they are at home over the holidays whether it is raining or sunny—and they are going to take the tax back from them.  
There are no words too strong to describe the injustices and the unfairness that this Budget as a continuation of current Government policies has delivered. There is no hope; there is no vision. The Labour Party will develop policies that will offer at the next election— 
Chris Auchinvole 
: When? 
Nikki Kaye 
: When? 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: We have plenty of time because at the moment— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Order! The time has expired. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! I have cautioned the member.