Robertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 01 June 2016. Volume:714;Page:11552. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by his statement in question time yesterday with respect to average wages “we do not promise some specific level of income”?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister of Finance)on behalf of theMinister of Finance: Yes.Grant Robertson: Why then did he produce a policy in 2014 that specifically claimed that the average wage would reach $62000 in 2018?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I happen to have my own copy of that policy at hand and I appreciate the member’s interest. It clearly says: “The Treasury forecasts average wages to grow by around $6600 to $62000 by mid-2018 and expects around 150000 new jobs to be created in that time.”Grant Robertson: Referring to that same document can he confirm that it says “National’s economic plan will make those forecasts a reality.”; and if that is not a promise what is?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Yes I can and the good news for the member is that we are making very good progress. The Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update said that it expected the average weekly wage to be $1114 while the actual figure is $1111 which is just $3 per week behind at this point. The point remains that they are Treasury predictions but it is only this Government’s economic policies that deliver economic results for New Zealanders which they test every 3 years.Grant Robertson: Supplementary question Mr Speaker.Hon Gerry Brownlee: The only safe man in Opposition.Grant Robertson: It’s a job you’ll never have Gerry.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I know the member was responding to an interjection which was unhelpful but can we have the supplementary question?Grant Robertson: Can he confirm that on the basis of the same calculation that he used to say that there would be a $62000 average wage in 2018 that will now actually be a $59400 average wage; and whom should working people go to see to find the $2600 a year that is missing from what he promised them?Mr SPEAKER: Either of those two supplementary questions the Hon Steven Joyce.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member is wrong. The latest forecast is actually an average wage of $60000 in mid-2018 but as the Minister of Finance constantly stresses to Mr Robertson those are predictions that move around. We are confident that when the time comes in late 2017 when the National-led Government is up against Labour and the Greens New Zealanders will see that their wages have grown much faster than inflation under this Government and that under the previous Government wages were growing slower than inflation.Dr David Clark: It’s just not true.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: It is true.Grant Robertson: In light of that answer can he confirm that Budget 2016 says that average real wages will not go up in the next 2 financial years under his Government?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member cannot have it both ways. He cannot at one point say that the Government is not bound by the Treasury figures and then say the Government is bound by the Treasury figures. The reality is that every 6 months Treasury comes up with predictions. The reality is that Treasury expects real wages to continue rising over time and importantly the experience for New Zealanders is that over the last 5 years the average annual wage has risen 14.1 percent compared with inflation of only 4.7 percent. That is what Kiwis are actually experiencing and we will see where they are at next year.