Barry Maggie: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Barry Maggie: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
[Sitting date: 26 June 2012. Volume:681;Page:3391. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore) 
: 
 This I firmly believe is a Budget that delivers a moderate and balanced approach for managing this Government’s finances because although the Opposition continues to be determinedly unrealistic we know how important it is to focus on what is important—to focus on what is important to improving the quality of people’s lives. That is what this Government is committed to doing—to giving money to those who need it not just to those who say they need it who create a lot of noise and who have their hands out all the time. This is about looking beyond the obvious and drilling down and targeting the money and the resources to the people who are genuinely in need. We are a realistic Government. 
When it comes to the twin areas of health and welfare in particular these reforms I think are first-class illustrations of how this Budget is making a difference to New Zealanders lives and building a brighter future. I commend Minister Paula Bennett for her courageous and far-reaching welfare reforms. She boldly and fearlessly goes where others would not. Twelve percent of our working-age population is on a benefit. That is completely unacceptable. We have 220000 children living in welfare-dependent homes. That is also unacceptable. It is trapping families into poverty it is costing too much money and this Government firmly believes that those who can work should work. 
Let us look at what we have delivered in this zero Budget because although we need to have a Budget that is tight in these difficult financial times we are directing and targeting that money as I said to where it is required. Budget 2012 is investing up front in welfare some $287.5 million over 4 years. That is supporting stage one of our welfare reforms. This upfront investment is really going to help support New Zealanders on welfare to go into work to leave behind that dependency. And in the meantime as a result of that we will be saving for New Zealand taxpayers about $1 billion. Let us look at the numbers: $80 million is going into early childhood education. We absolutely appreciate that young people—our very very young—need all the help that they can get from a very early age. That is why we are so committed to it. Guaranteed childcare assistance payments—this is the sort of thing that is really going to help. And we are targeting the Pasifika communities—those who have not traditionally taken advantage of childcare facilities. We have increased that by 10 percent in the first 3 years of this Government and with the money resources and intelligent policies that we are bringing into play here that will increase. 
We have $55 million for 155 dedicated Work and Income support staff at the front line to support job seekers and sole parents into work. That is a good thing. We will spend $148 million on better youth services as well to work particularly with young people who are disengaged and unemployed. These are the priorities that Minister Bennett and this Government have. We are addressing health issues and vulnerable young people in particular. When it comes to health this is something that I observed over 30 years in the media: health is often a story that is in the news when you have centre-right parties because there is a tendency to target that money and there are people who feel left out about that. So in this Government under the leadership of Tony Ryall in the past 3½ years we have seen that free-wheeling spending under Labour which achieved very little and got us into very difficult situations turned round. I commend Tony Ryall who in the past 3½ years and in particular in this latest Budget has really made a difference. I need to look no further than in my own electorate of the North Shore. The Waitemata District Health Board used to be in the news for all the wrong reasons. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: Corridors! 
MAGGIE BARRY 
: People in corridors—exactly Mr Auchinvole. People who were unable to get into hospitals were waiting for unacceptably long periods of time to get into the accident and emergency department. The waiting time targets were met something like only 61 percent of the time. That is not good enough—absolutely not good enough. That is why we set targets. So in the meantime what we have been doing now since Tony Ryall appointed Lester Levy who has taken a very firm view on what the Waitemata District Health Board was doing is put some more money into it where it is required. We have seen that amazingly go up to more than 95 percent—95 percent—so we have met that target and we have exceeded it. So we are now able in the North Shore Hospital to admit discharge or transfer patients within that 6 hours. That is a tremendous achievement.  
When you set targets you can measure them. They are achievable targets they are ones that we are firmly focused on and we direct people in the Public Service to achieve those. If they do not it is at their cost. When I look at what has happened particularly in Waitemata I am very encouraged as a local member of Parliament. On the North Shore I get many people contacting me on a weekly basis telling me good news stories about their experiences with North Shore Hospital.  
Hon Member 
: Constituents. 
MAGGIE BARRY 
: These are real constituents not just people like “Mr Spray and Walk Away”. [ 
Interruption 
] Yes he is indeed. As my colleagues Todd McClay and Michael Woodhouse have pointed out he is the gift that just keeps on giving. The North Shore was in a difficult situation and as a result of what this Government and in particular the health Minister Tony Ryall have done with the North Shore Hospital that situation has been turned round. 
 It has come at a cost. Over the past 3 years the Government has invested $1.5 billion of new money into the public health service—[ 
Interruption 
]—$1.5 billion indeed. In these very difficult financial times we have found that money because we have prioritised it. Of that amount $153 million extra funding has gone into the Waitemata District Health Board. That has been put into the facilities that I have mentioned the emergency care departments the new dialysis centre and a new elective surgery centre. These are the sorts of measures that are really making a difference to people’s lives. I would ask Opposition members to listen and to pay attention to what we have done—they might learn something. 
When I look at what the district health boards are doing by focusing on health targets—and again targets and control are uncharted territories for the people on the Opposition benches—they are the reason why this Government is making gains in tough times. So we have improved access to elective procedures there are much shorter waits for cancer treatment—and I will come back to that in a moment—there are shorter stays in the emergency department and we have targeted increased immunisation again and reducing the incidence of rheumatic fever. Illnesses such as those should not be around. We have those things in our sights and we will make sure that we make huge gains on them. 
We have better results for people who are trying to give up smoking. We are working closely with Tariana Turia and those in the Maori Party around those measures because these are vital measures to the Maori community Pacific Islanders and indeed to all New Zealanders. We are making sure that there is help there for smokers who want to quit and to help themselves. 
We also have more heart and diabetes checks. Again we are looking at trying to get the information to help people at an earlier stage of their care rather than much further down the track when it is going to be much more expensive not just in terms of dollars but also in terms of the emotional toll that it takes on people. 
I am particularly encouraged by what we have done in this Budget when it comes to cancer treatment. For anyone who has been through that journey themselves or has had a loved one go through it you might be aware that some patients might have to explain their treatments symptoms and the problems that they are having to up to 30 doctors and many more nurses than that. This adds unacceptable strain to many cancer patients. These are people who are already suffering enough and who need treatment of the most appropriate kind and in a timely fashion. As a result of the extra money that we have put into that—some $33 million—we have appointed designated cancer nurses who will be able to assist that individual going through the treatment and their families to know who to go to and when. They will be able to get to specialist care more quickly. They will emerge through the system and through their treatment in the knowledge that they have not wasted their precious time and their precious energy on informing bureaucrats and filling out forms. The essence of what we are trying to do in health is encapsulated with cancer patients because it is about helping individuals and helping them to help themselves but making it as easy as possible to navigate things. 
From 1 July in fact district health boards—in particular my one at Waitemata District Health Board—are collecting data at key points along the patient’s clinical journey. Why are we doing that? Because we need to be able to measure and hold accountable the system and if it is not delivering we will land on them. We are improving public services and we will continue to do so and that is because we are holding them accountable. But yes we are compassionate. We are not leaving people who need us—vulnerable people—out in the cold because they are waiting at the end of a long queue. We are targeting focusing on and helping those people and that is really making a difference to people’s lives. 
The policies of our Government I believe and in particular this Budget in these difficult times will result as Bill English said earlier this morning in a moderate growth to our economy. We will bring the books back into balance. We have under the charismatic and visionary leadership of John Key a very intelligent Cabinet and a united and wise caucus which will see through the policies with a rigour and a tenacity that will make a difference to people’s lives and will indeed build a brighter future for New Zealanders.