Carter John: Budget Debate 
Carter John: Budget Debate 
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Hon JOHN CARTER (Minister of Civil Defence) 
: 
 It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak on the Budget debate because first of all I have the opportunity to congratulate the Minister of Finance Bill English on what has been recognised across the country—and indeed in countries around the world—as a fantastic job done in setting out this Budget. It was a job done under difficult circumstances. Nevertheless he has come up absolute trumps. It is a great credit to his skill and also I must say to the Prime Minister’s for the work they have done together along with fellow Ministers people of the caucus and our coalition partners in presenting this Budget to New Zealand at a time when the country knows we are going through global turmoil from a financial perspective. 
People in this country are saying “Thank goodness we have somebody like Bill English to lead us through this difficult period.” They are saying “Thank goodness we didn’t have to sit and listen to another Cullen Budget.” They are saying “Thank goodness the leaders of our country are in good control.” Right across the country there is a resounding first-class tick for the Budget presented by Bill English. He is to be sincerely congratulated on the presentation. 
Let us look at some of the things this Budget does. The first thing it does is to cushion New Zealand from the sharpest edges of the global recession. That in itself is an amazing feat. Not only has it done that but also it has added to the opportunity and the future of this country. 
Let us look at some of the other things in the Budget not just the fact that it has cushioned New Zealand from the recession. There is also new spending in so many areas. At this time we must respect the fact that Mr English had the ability to come forward and to make further funding available for some necessary areas. There is new core Crown spending of $2.9 billion that combined with the recent tax cuts will support this economy and get it back on its feet a lot quicker than we would have had otherwise and a lot quicker than most other countries will be able to do. 
Budget 2009 directly supports jobs through a $323.3 million home insulation and clean heating campaign. We have allocated $50 million for a national cycleway network. There will be a multibillion-dollar infrastructure boost. We all know that those things are sorely needed around this country. It is a shame that the previous Government took 9 years and did little yet in this Government’s first Budget it has come up trumps and has been recognised for it. 
One thing I will talk about particularly from a Northland perspective is the issue of home insulation and the clean heating campaign. Northland as we know is an area with serious housing problems. My friend and colleague Hone Harawira has been on about the issue of housing in Northland ever since and before he became a member of Parliament. He and I have worked to get this programme under way. The shame of it was that we had to wait until we got into Government to have these issues addressed because the previous Government did little about it. My friend and colleague from Northland and I are proud of the fact that this Government will make this money available to the people of New Zealand. The impact it will have in Northland will be enormous. We estimate that about 180000 households are eligible for grants of up to $1800 regardless of income. On top of that people who hold community service cards will also be eligible for grants of up to $3000. That starts on 1 July 2009 a little under a month away. 
It is also important to note that the impact of this scheme is twofold or threefold. Not only will it make the homes of the people in greatest need more comfortable but also it will cut down on heating costs. If we have properly insulated homes it means that the way in which people can heat those homes will be far more efficient. But there is more. Not only does it mean that there will be therefore savings for individuals but also it means that it will reduce the demand on health care. As we all know a lot of sickness is generated by people who live in unhealthy homes. This Government decided to get involved in this initiative not just so that New Zealanders would have warmer homes which is a great thing but also so that people would be a lot healthier. I think particularly of our young children in Northland. They are great young kids who need the opportunity to have a good future who need the opportunity to have an input into this country and who need the opportunity to make a contribution for themselves. Those children will have a far better start in life as a consequence of this programme and I am really proud to be part of that. 
To those of us in Northland this initiative will mean that we will see a great step forward right across the community. Right across the community Maori and non-Maori will benefit from this. The whole community will step up and we will be far better for that. It means lots of things. It means that we will get better productivity out of those who are working because they will be less stressed about the fact that their children are unwell. It will mean that there will be more money to go around so that people will be able to better provide for their children and their wider family. It means that in the community itself people will be able to make a greater contribution to the community in which they live. So many positives have come out of this sort of initiative and we are all proud I am certain that we are doing this sort of thing. 
The second thing I will talk about is the matter of superannuation. I am pleased to say and again I am proud that we have a Government that has guaranteed that superannuation will continue. It has absolutely guaranteed that superannuation will continue. Firstly the age of entitlement is at 65. We know that that age will continue to be 65. Secondly we are keeping the level of superannuation at 66 percent of the average income for couples. It is important to recognise that for a couple the level is at 66 percent. Those are the sorts of figures that we are talking about. The issue around the Superannuation Fund is something that Opposition members like to talk about and frighten people with. But of course if they were honest enough to tell us about the facts of the fund they would have to say that at its peak it was going to contribute only about 12 percent of the money— 
Hon David Parker 
: 25! 
Hon JOHN CARTER 
: There are different figures. But the point is that even if that member was right—and sadly he has never been before so why would he be today—the fact is that the majority of the funding for superannuation is going to come from the consolidated fund. 
One of the things that this Budget will do is ensure that we have a prosperous and buoyant economy so that we can afford the superannuation that so many of our people in New Zealand need. That is one of the reasons why this Budget is so positive: it gives the people in need the greatest opportunity it gives them a good start-up and just as important it ensures that an income from the State will be provided to those who need it and rely on it as they get older. 
I have to say that I am proud of this Government. I am proud of Bill English and the Budget he has delivered. I am proud of the way in which John Key is giving leadership to this country. I have to say that I am proud to be part of this Government and to be a Minister in it because this Government is taking steps and going forward whereas in the past we have not seen that. This country needed leadership. It has it from John Key it has it from Bill English and it will continue to get it from this Government.