Bennett David: Public Finance (Fiscal Responsibility) Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBennett David: Public Finance (Fiscal Responsibility) Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 25 June 2013. Volume:691;Page:11257. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East):I sat there incredulous at that speech by Russel Norman. The first time the Green Party has voted for a bill in this House it is a John Banks ACT-led bill. I could not believe that. I looked at the other side and at the faces of David Cunliffe and the young man in front of him whose name I have forgotten at the moment—Maggie Barry: David Clark.DAVID BENNETT: —David Clark the leaders of the Labour Party economic team and their faces when they saw Russel Norman stand up and say that he was going to vote for the Public Finance (Fiscal Responsibility) Amendment Bill were amazing. They could not believe it. The Labour Party members had spent half an hour in this House debating the merits of Labour’s economic policy talking about superannuation talking about a capital gains tax deflating the impact of this bill and saying how great Labour’s policies are and then the economic guru of the left stood up and said that the bill is a good idea. What is happening?I will tell you what is happening. What is happening is that Russel Norman has got a severe case—I will set the scene here because he has had to reverse his print and spend policy. The Labour Party told him that print and spend will not work. It is costing too many votes out there amongst the public because everybody believes that it is a dumb idea. So Russel Norman had to run back and come to the media in a adjournment week and say: “Look I’ve given up on that policy. We’re not going to print and spend any more.” But the guru from the left then had to come into this House and make himself look like the economic genius he rates himself as being. He wanted to be seen as theeconomic statesman of the left and so he came in and supported a Government bill on economics. That is what he is doing. He gave us a 10-minute rant on economics which had no sense or sensibility to it—but that is Russel Norman for you because he knows everything—and then he goes and votes for a John Banks ACT bill on economics. Great stuff. That is when you know that the Labour Party and the Green Party are in disaster territory when it comes to economic management.We look forward to that because this is not about being reasonable and understanding economics; the Labour Party and the Green Party just do not know where they are. The Labour Party and the Green Party talk about efficiency and fairness in their capital gains tax. When they go out there and talk about a capital gains tax they always say that IMF reports recommend a capital gains tax. Well it is a universal capital gains tax that is recommended not the specific one that the Labour Party is talking about. That exempts the first family home so it is not a fair tax. Labour has got an exemption in it before you even start. If it wanted to have a fair tax it would tax everybody and anything but it will not do that. It is not about fairness.The Labour Party and the Green Party are fighting over economic policy. The guru came into this room again today to put his stamp on it by saying that he is “Mr Economic Reasonableness” because he got a big big slap around the face last week from the Labour Party. Now the Labour Party is dealing with the monster coming back in a more reasonable state than the Labour Party thought it could deal with and he voted for an ACT bill. It is great to see the Labour Party and the Green Party when they cannot agree on economic policy. Thank you.