Robson Matt: Appropriation (2004/05 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Robson Matt: Appropriation (2004/05 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:619;Page:14970] 
Hon MATT ROBSON (Deputy Leader—Progressive) 
: 
 The progressive Government stands for growth jobs and families and that is what this Budget and the estimates we are discussing symbolise. This bill gives form to our progressive Government’s Budget for the financial year just started. Progressive Governments invest in projects to promote economic growth and the further development of our industry sectors and our regions. Progressive Governments are the ones that deliver practical policies that provide financial incentives to working families to working parents to stay inside the workforce and outside the welfare system. We have introduced a four-letter word back into our society and that is the word “plan”. With economic development educational progress and changes in the health system we are moving towards a more rational society. A progressive Government is a Government that acts to protect the most vulnerable and alienated members of our community because it is those sectors that always suffer the highest toll from cannabis abuse alcohol abuse tobacco abuse and other substance abuse. Our progressive Government has overseen the most impressive 5-year spurt in growth and in jobs ever recorded in this nation’s history. 
 Our ambition is to keep on getting on with the job in the election in 13 months’ time. Only one left-wing Government in the history of New Zealand has ever won three general elections and that was the 1935-49 Savage and then Fraser Government. New Zealand’s recent adoption of the more representative and democratic MMP system has changed the way Governments are elected. In the countdown to September 2005 non - Labour Party voters will have an awesome responsibility. That responsibility is either to see that this progress continues or to turn it over to the reactionary atavistic parties that exist on the opposite side of this House. Non - Labour voters will need to look carefully at all other parties and choose the best bet to ensure the next Government remains forward-looking remains pro-jobs and pro-growth and will not let down the most vulnerable in our society by moving away from our strong multi-pronged approach in the battle against substance abuse. 
We all know that over a period of 30 years starting in the mid-1970s New Zealanders’ average standard of living fell dramatically compared with living standards in Australia. Under the slash-and-burn policies of the past our living standards dropped to be around 30 percent below Australians’ living standards. According to the OECD this progressive Government with legislation like that before this House has turned all of that round. The economy has experienced stronger growth in the 5 years of this Government than Australia has. That is the exact opposite of what happened when National ruled New Zealand and Don Brash was the central bank governor when Australia motored ahead of us. According to the OECD progressive regional industry and skills-investing programmes and more intelligent management of monetary and fiscal policy ensured that New Zealand’s per capita growth domestic product increased between 1999 and 2003 by more than in the previous 5 calendar years of 1994 to 1998. 
New Zealand needs a third-term Labour-Progressive Government next year. The Labour-Progressive Government is investing 27.7 percent of our total Budget in social welfare. That is a 30-year low because so many people are now in jobs training or education. Welfare spending under the last National Government was significantly higher each and every year of its rule reaching as high as 38.6 percent of Government spending. This Sunday the Progressive Party continues with its candidate selections for the September 2004 elections with the selection of the first four electorate candidates in Auckland. We will be campaigning for the party vote as the only party that has a 6-year proven track record inside Government of promoting growth jobs and skills and of delivering policies that help communities fight off the ill-effects of substance abuse. We will be campaigning for another 3 years of the type of forward-looking policies and programmes that are liberally represented in the 2004-05 Budget before this House. 
Those are the economic and social achievements. I have one word though for other colleagues in this House including my Labour colleagues: we have to look at our moral responsibilities as well. I would ask in this period that we look again at the case of Ahmed Zaoui overturn his unjust imprisonment and remove that stain from the Labour-Progressive Government. Similarly I ask that we look at withdrawing the Identity (Citizenship and Travel Documents) Bill which is an insult to our migrant communities and places a dangerous power in the hands of the Security Intelligence Service to recommend that the passports and travel documents of New Zealanders be withdrawn because of its opinion that we are security risks. I ask that we look carefully at our moral responsibility as well as our economic and social progress under a very good Government.