Macindoe Tim: Budget Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Macindoe Tim: Budget Debate 
[Sitting date: 29 May 2012. Volume:680;Page:2602. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West) 
: 
 I am delighted to stand and follow my good friend and colleague the member for Hamilton East. I am going to pick up on one of his themes which is a vitally important one and that is the shameful record of the previous Government which pushed this country into recession. I want to reiterate the point that he has just made because he is absolutely right that the people of Hamilton have demanded the completion of the Waikato Expressway for a very long time and the Labour Party transport spokesperson being on record saying that Labour is not committed to it will be devastating for the people of the Waikato.  
Perhaps even more than the three that preceded it the fourth Budget delivered by the current Government highlighted both the gravity of the fiscal environment in which we are operating and the importance of our sound and careful strategy to manage the New Zealand economy back into surplus. In recent times one other point has become abundantly clear to my constituents and to the more responsible media and economic commentators and that is the growing understanding of how appalling the previous Government’s record of economic mismanagement was during the 9 years of the Clark-Cullen-Parker-Cunliffe regime. That is not just a political point and nor is it trite or cheap because reflecting now on the previous Government’s shameful record of huge and reckless increases in Government spending while it made little or no provision for paying for it it is clear that all the Ministers in that former Clark Government—including the leader of New Zealand First I should add who now feigns concern about debt and the need to boost our country’s exports—have shackled our economy and imperilled our children’s future. For 5 years under their stewardship if one could call it that Labour Ministers allowed Government spending to rise at twice the rate of revenue. At any time such a policy would be foolhardy and unsustainable but to continue on that path as economic storm clouds were brewing at home and throughout the global economy— 
Todd McClay 
: I saw those storm clouds brewing. 
TIM MACINDOE 
: —you did indeed Mr McClay—as was clearly the case in the final term of the last Government the Clark Government was reckless and utterly shameful. So when former Ministers from “Planet Labour” stood in this House last week to attack the Budget and to speak of the Government’s supposed meanness and lack of imagination as several attempted to do I saw red in more ways than one. No one is fooled—none but the most one-eyed dyed-in-the-wool Labour Party activist could continue to defend the indefensible. Labour caused the lion’s share of New Zealand’s current economic difficulties yet not one member of the party opposite has had the integrity yet to admit it or the humility to stand and apologise for it. Not one of them.  
Again today we have heard more unadulterated claptrap from this week’s Labour finance spokesman David Parker deflecting the blame and ignoring the triple challenges posed by the global financial crisis the magnitude of the Canterbury earthquakes and the continuing impact of Labour’s reckless and unfunded escalation of public spending. Yet today Mr Parker opined that “if you change nothing nothing changes”. The same party that derides National’s attempts to rein in Government spending and mistakes a zero Budget for a recipe for zero growth and that attacks significant programmes to deliver better public services to fund the reconstruction of Christchurch to improve our tax system and to promote the creation of new and sustainable jobs hopes it can spin the line that nothing is changing. The evidence that things are changing is overwhelming and all around us.  
Andrew Little 
: They are on the benches opposite. 
TIM MACINDOE 
: We have had growth Mr Little in every quarter since Bill English delivered a Budget. In fact the last period of no growth was the last quarter bequeathed to us by the outgoing Labour Government.  
We have constantly reprioritised spending as a Government towards the things that work and we also have a firm focus on results not just inputs. It is the Labour Party’s view that you just throw money at things you have no accountability and you make no attempt to measure whether things work. You just say: “Throw more money at the problem.” and you borrow it from overseas. The members opposite say: “Let’s tax and tax and tax and spend and spend and spend and somehow we will fix everything.” Well what we are doing is making a difference despite the fact that we are not increasing overall Government spending.  
Notwithstanding Mr Twyford’s bizarre assertions a few minutes ago the facts show that the number of people on benefits fell by more than 21000 in February this year alone. That included 5651 fewer people on unemployment benefits which is a 9 percent drop in that month alone—a fantastic effort. Then the following month to show it was not a fluke we saw a further 8000 people cancel their benefits because they had found work. I congratulate each and every one of those 8000 people and I wish them well. I know that finding work is the best thing for them and for their families and I trust that it will see a significant increase in their living standards.  
I stand 100 percent behind the priorities that our Government has outlined for this term. Let us be reminded of those four priorities. We have committed ourselves to responsible management of the Government’s finances in order to return the Government’s books to surplus by 2014-15. Nobody underestimates how challenging that is. Each time—as we saw again tragically last week—there is another earthquake in Christchurch it becomes harder but we remain on track. Well done Bill English. Well done everybody who is managing a ministerial portfolio in these tight times.  
Our second priority is to continue building a more competitive and productive economy—not one where you just throw money at low-quality areas but one where investment is made in sustainable jobs and in growing a productive economy.  
 Our third priority which I am going to come back to in a few minutes is delivering better public services. I am passionate about that goal which is why I will talk about it a bit more in a few minutes.  
But of course the final one as I have just mentioned is that commitment which remains ongoing to the rebuild of Christchurch. Nobody should underestimate how challenging that is. I am sure our hearts go out to everybody in that city at the moment as they continue to be shaken. It is a traumatic and devastating time for all of them and we stand 100 percent behind them. They need that commitment and I am glad that we have made it to them.  
Earlier this year the Prime Minister announced 10 new results-driven goals for the Public Service and they are hugely important. It is a pity that they did not get more coverage through the media but I guess that tells you a little bit about media priorities. But those 10 commitments are very important. They are challenging and they are things that we are prepared to put on the record and be judged on over the next 3 to 5 years.  
The first of course is the reduction in long-term welfare dependency. It is hugely important for generations of future New Zealanders.  
The second is to see more young children particularly Maori and Pasifika children in early childhood education. We have made great strides in the last 3 years in this area. We are committed to achieving more and I am delighted to see it happening.  
The third is an important health objective and that is continuing to see an increase in the rates of immunisation for young children. That is happening again. The records are out. In fact I saw in the papers today further results from the district health boards around the country and I congratulate them. They are all making major strides in that direction.  
The fourth is to see a significant reduction in the number of assaults on our nation’s children. I am sure every member of this House welcomes that objective. I am sure we are all determined to see it happen. I thank those who contributed to the green paper and who have put forward ideas. I thank those who are working in this crucially important area and I am going to do everything I can as an MP to support their efforts.  
The fifth is to see more young people coming through our education system with significant levels of achievement. We know that pretty much the benchmark now is National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2. It is a huge jump from even a generation ago. Therefore what we are doing is putting a major investment into the programmes available seeing them go through school and into tertiary education. We are determined to achieve that outcome and we know that it is the quality of teaching that makes a huge difference. We are funding that. We are backing our teachers. We believe in them. I back them. I am a former teacher myself and I thank them for what they are doing.  
The sixth is to see a more skilled workforce with an increase in the number of people coming through with advanced trade qualifications because they need them in order to secure employment.  
The next is a reduction in the crime rate. It is not just total crime. It is youth crime that is such a major problem in our country and it is violent crime. As we reduce crime and we are seeing that happen we know that that is going to make a huge difference to the lives of all New Zealanders.  
The final one that I am going to mention today is a reduction in the rate of reoffending which is something I am passionately committed to.