Cameron MarkMARK CAMERON (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker for my opportunity to rise on the debate speech. I'd just quickly like to point out our concerns in this House and acknowledge the difficulties that the Canterbury region is going through in what has been a terrible adverse weather event.This Budget I rise to speak about I am saddened and disgraced at what it represents to farmers. There is absolutely nothing in this Budget that acknowledges the very people that have kept this economy going. It's asinine and vacuous in many many many parts. This economy has been kept going for no other reason than the rural sector and I think my colleagues on this side of the House would acknowledge that. There is nothing in here. We haven't got an acknowledgment for water storage. There's been no TB funding. Hon Simon Bridges: You'd think they hate the farmers!MARK CAMERON: We haven't had the thanks for the rural sector which reduced the funding for the fibre investment.Hon Meka Whaitiri: What do you know about farming Mr Bridges?Hon Simon Bridges: I've got gumboots on!MARK CAMERON: Well you guys can keep on debating; I'm the actual only farmer in the building outside of Mr Bennett—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. That all started because the member was bringing the Speaker into the debate which I'd ask him not to do because quite clearly it leads to disorder.MARK CAMERON: Thank you Madam Speaker. Look I reiterate my point: this has been an absolute disgrace what it means in terms of funding for rural New Zealand. It's never been harder to be a farmer in rural New Zealand. We acknowledge that. There's a plethora of shoddy lawmaking that this Budget does not acknowledge. Freshwater reforms climate change regulations—what will that mean to a rural New Zealand farmer? The other side of the House simply don't understand. Crown pastoral lease agreements and significant natural areas that's the next thing that's coming. What does that mean for rural New Zealand?Hon Dr David Clark: Who are your socialist buddies asking for more subsidies?MARK CAMERON: Oh we've got people that are calling themselves socialists over there. Sixty-six million dollars was the only significant funding and that was for the biosecurity and the M. bovis programme. This is frankly insulting to the tens of thousands of farmers doing the tough work. Who else in this hall gets out of bed at 3 a.m. and then has to look at a re-grassing programme especially down in Canterbury that's going to take six months to get in?The first question is that it was laid out of a foundation with this New Zealand economy going to be spearheaded by the rural sector. We withstood a global pandemic that caused havoc across the landscape. Who was better to fix that and keep the economy going? It was the rural sector. Despite this we have seen a bureaucratic machinery that's pontificated. When was the last time that anyone in this hall—and I challenge them—was actually on a farm talking to farmers understanding the difficulties that they were going to have to deal with? Am I as I said the only practical farmer in here? The future of rural New Zealand—Hon David Bennett: You're not a practical farmer!MARK CAMERON: Well certainly here we go again! The Budget shows there's a disconnect with this Government and it's become—Hon David Bennett: You're a bureaucratic or you wouldn't be standing there!MARK CAMERON: Well I'm both mate—I'm both. As a country we deserve better and this Budget has nothing to address that—absolutely nothingHon David Bennett: Right now he's trying to present himself as something he isn't.MARK CAMERON: Yeah thank you very much Mr Bennett. I am actually a farmer and I've been 30 years in the industry. But anyway I will leave it at that. This has done nothing for the rural sector and I will leave it at that. Thank you very much.