Barnett Tim: Budget Debate 
Barnett Tim: Budget Debate 
[Volume:618;Page:13607] 
TIM BARNETT (Labour—Christchurch Central) 
: 
 That was Mr Lindsay Tisch a National member of Parliament. Three business people in his electorate received Queen’s Birthday honours having been supported by local Labour members of Parliament. 
Hon Chris Carter 
: Not for Mr Tisch. 
TIM BARNETT 
: No not from Mr Tisch apparently. This is a lengthy Budget debate. I want to be just a little parochial in my contribution looking at this Budget and the successes of the 4½ years of Labour Government leading up to it from the point of view of my electorate Christchurch Central. Christchurch Central contains neighbourhoods with the highest levels of social deprivation outside of south Auckland. This is a Budget made for such areas driven by politicians who know that such poverty cripples people and communities. 
I believe that this Budget represents the most efficient use of the available money to tackle child poverty—a direct and efficient investment in the future of our nation. The tax cuts that some in this House advocate—and would of course benefit greatly from—mean little to the great majority of people in my electorate. Lower tax means worse public services and inevitably a widening of the wealth gap. 
For those who suggest that more of the so-called Budget deficit should be used for one-off spending what is fairer than building up the Superannuation Fund? New Zealand has a uniquely egalitarian Robin Hood - style superannuation scheme that benefits everyone equally with a liveable level of income at the age of 65. My generation has infinitely more security and more assurance that we and our peers will enjoy such a living income thanks to the vision of this Government in that fund. So this is a superb Budget for eradicating poverty and building up security bit by bit for the future. 
Unemployment levels in my electorate are the lowest for a generation. They are down below 6 percent in neighbourhoods whose names were synonymous with deprivation even when the rest of the city was booming. Welfare dependency has shrunk dramatically over the past year in some local Department of Work and Income offices such as Linwood Shirley and Stanmore Road. The number of people on the unemployment benefit has reduced by two-thirds and contrary to the myths spread by some the rise in the numbers on invalids and sickness benefits has been modest or minimal. All that means that Department of Work and Income staff can start to do the job they are best at—offering genuine and supportive help and resources in an intensive way to get people back to work. The results are stunning. People’s lives literally have been transformed and nationwide literally billions of dollars have been saved to be used in other areas of Government. 
The last National Budget—thank goodness 5 years ago now—simply ignored economic development. Whereas in most of the world even including Australia Governments were investing heavily in building their economies in 1990s New Zealand it was simply left to the market and the business community seemed to accept that as the only way it could be done. It has all changed now. My business visits in my electorate often feature positive feedback on the performance of the local and national State agencies in this area and genuine pleasure from business people at the accessibility of a wide range of support. Budget 2004 features plenty of examples of this. It is a milestone Budget for getting people into work and for further strengthening our economy. 
My electorate contains over 30 State schools. In terms of the amount and range of support from Government they have never had it so good. They face growing challenges especially in areas like behaviour management—the legacy of neglect of social need throughout the 1990s. Knowing that the Government will listen and is flexible enough to respond by investing in innovation and good ideas is all-important to those teachers and schools. 
Worldwide school investment in information technology is proving to make the critical differences. Ratios of terminals to schoolchildren are improving annually. With that comes more classroom material designed by and for the computer generation. It is fitting therefore that one item in this Budget was laptops for primary schoolteachers putting the quality machines where they can be of most use. This is a stunning Budget for education. 
My electorate is enjoying its lowest crime levels again for a generation combined with a best-ever level of policing resources. This Budget invests in the justice system of the future including restorative justice. It implements the family violence programme and it responds to the current demands for more police. This Budget builds up a responsive modern justice system. 
Many people in my electorate are elderly and they deserve the best. They have served our society and their families for a lifetime. This Budget combined in Christchurch with the launch of the nation’s largest public health organisation Partnership Health gives them a new and fair deal. Everyone aged 65 or over enrolled in a public health organisation will pay less to see their family doctor thanks to an increased Government subsidy and most prescriptions will be no more than $3 an item. Also spending in orthopaedics will double over 4 years vastly improving the quality of life. Asset testing is finally on the way out—the proof is in this Budget—and that will be mourned by few. This is a memorable Budget for our older citizens. 
As an inner-city area my electorate has many young people and some are very young. They will benefit from the new childcare subsidies at the heart of this Budget or from the new investments—an incredible one-third of a billion dollars more over 4 years in early childhood education. The students who live in inner-city addresses that have been student residences for generations also have reason to celebrate as only they can. Nationwide 36000 students will see an increase in their allowances and a reduction in their future debt. That means about 1500 people in Christchurch Central. 
For those heading for apprenticeships we have seen a turn round in that “market will provide” mentality to outstanding interventionist partnerships between business their collective bodies and Government giving our young people skills work and a living income. So this has been a special and memorable Budget for young people. 
My electorate is served by the country’s most innovative local body—Christchurch City Council. That organisation’s relationship with the Government and the community has flourished over the last 4½ years. The law under which that relationship is set up the Local Government Act is now a “can do” not a “can’t do” measure. We have partnerships in housing and in social provision—local government and central government have never worked more closely together. This is a brilliant Budget for local democracy. 
My electorate contains in Christchurch’s city centre the country’s leading heritage and arts precincts. The old market-driven ideology consigned those sectors to that dog-eat-dog world. That meant that beautiful buildings were demolished in the interests of the property market and innovation in the arts simply did not happen. What has happened in this sector is a classic litmus policy—something to define what is special and different about this Government. It happened under Keating in Australia and is now happening in New Zealand under Helen Clark. Careful investment in the arts and in heritage has released the floodgates of innovation. The shortage now is of arts administrators not of good ideas worthy of funding. This Budget has sustained and further grown this area and combined with new legal protections for heritage buildings and the Resource Management Act we really have seen the turning point in this area. This is a Budget to showcase what makes our country different. 
There we have it—a Budget to remember which for once people are talking about and are positive about. It is a Budget that brings hope for people who need that helping hand. It is a Budget that continues to invest in economic development and the infrastructure for a solid future. It is a Budget that uses money cleverly to make real positive changes to people’s lives—for those waiting for a hip replacement for those wanting better equipment to face the challenges of primary school teaching for those wanting to follow their dreams as artists and film makers. That is what a Labour Budget is all about.