Pettis Jill: Budget Debate 
Pettis Jill: Budget Debate 
[Volume:608;Page:5952] 
JILL PETTIS (NZ Labour—Whanganui) 
: 
 It is an absolute pleasure to join the debate on the 2003 Budget because this is a fantastic Budget. I have heard our critics say that it was boring and there was nothing in it for ordinary New Zealanders. I have to say that while we on this side of the House express some concerns about literacy rates in New Zealand that makes me question even further the literacy rates of some of those who sit on the other side of the House. Even the most casual reading of the Budget will tell members how much there is in the 2003 Budget for all New Zealanders— 
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: Even those from Northland? 
JILL PETTIS 
: Yes even those from the most northern parts; I am not suggesting that that member has any problem with literacy. There is something for everybody in this Budget and one of the most fascinating and fantastic aspects of the Budget from my perspective and from that of my electorate of Whanganui is the attack that we as a Government have been able to make on unemployment. This Government has invested heavily in youth. That is an investment in the future and an investment that is paying off already. 
Hon Taito Phillip Field 
: Record employment levels. 
JILL PETTIS 
: Absolutely! As my colleague Mr Field says we have record unemployment levels: the lowest for 14 years. That is a fantastic achievement. In the Whanganui area in particular there are now 600 fewer people unemployed than in the period when the previous National Government was in power. That is a wonderful achievement. 
We are not claiming that we did it all on our own. We know that there have been some very positive contributing factors to it particularly the excellent commodity prices that New Zealand has been able to benefit from. But nothing stands in isolation. A combination of a whole range of efforts and initiatives have gone into achieving that wonderful reduction in unemployment. 
My colleagues in their contributions have talked about the Gateway programme and I too want to mention it because it is an initiative that has been particularly successful in our secondary schools and more schools still in the Whanganui region are to be included in it. Hawera High School and Wanganui City College are already engaged in the programme and it is now being extended to Patea High School Waverley High School Opunake High School Kokohuia School Cullinane College and Wanganui Girls’ College. That programme will give our young people further experience at making that transition from school to work and we are receiving fantastic reports that are very positive from the young people themselves from their teachers and from their parents. It is a real investment in the future of New Zealand. 
One of the comments made by some of the detractors with regard to the Budget was that there were no surprises in this Budget. Budgets are not like Christmas presents. They are about planning for the future which is the strength of this Government and of this Budget. It is about planning for the future. Those of us who have been around for a while remember one of those dreadful Budgets that was packed full of surprises. It was named by the Minister of Finance herself at the time as the “mother of all Budgets”. My constituents reeled from the shock of what that surprise Budget meant for New Zealand in the cold hard light of day. That Budget lead to so many negative aspects for New Zealand. It put this country into a depression—not only a financial depression but also a depression of the spirit—and it has taken a lot of hard work to rise up from that. We experienced some terrible times in which the most vulnerable in New Zealand were under attack. 
But in a more positive vein—because there is so much to be positive about—I want to say that under this Government health spending has risen dramatically. It now accounts for 20 percent of all Government spending. That is an investment in today and in the future. The other fantastic investment that this Government is making is in the whole social service area and in education in particular and that is in line with typical Labour Budgets and policies. Access to education is the most important thing we can give young people. Our education policies are not only about the young; they are also about continuing education about assisting people with second-chance education to help them contribute to our society in a whole variety of ways. 
Another investment made by the Government that I would particularly like to comment on is the investment in arts culture and heritage. I am pleased to see Mr Ardern in the House tonight because he was heard on the radio on Friday making derogatory comments about this Government’s investment in arts culture and heritage. We have invested $76 million in arts culture and heritage and I am proud of the commitment we are making to that very important policy area. It too is about investing in ourselves as a people and as a country. It is about recognising ourselves as New Zealanders recognising those values that we have as New Zealanders and recognising that we can express ourselves in many artistic forms. 
It is not just about art galleries although I suspect Mr Ardern will be there in Taranaki when the Puke Ariki art gallery has its official opening. He will want to be seen amongst the crowd glad-handing and trying to take credit for that wonderful initiative of the people of Taranaki and the Government that shared investment in arts culture and heritage. He will not be saying he thinks it is just a waste of time and all those artists are just a bunch of woofters. He will not be saying that when he is standing there at the ceremony. He will be smiling and trying to bask in the reflected glory and the hard work of the Labour Government. 
I also want to mention the investment this Government has made in the Defence Force. This Government puts its money where its mouth is. It is not all bluster and blank bullets. We have given our armed trained personnel a pay rise which they never got under Mr Ardern’s Government. We have invested in capital expenditure and have also assisted our trained personnel by giving them a pay rise. Historically Labour Governments have invested more in defence capital expenditure than that party ever has. It talks tough talks big and rattles sabres but never puts its money where its mouth is. Labour does and I am proud of that. 
The other aspect I want to cover in closing is the many comments that have been made from that side of the House about the levy that was applied to drinks with a high alcohol content some weeks ago. I want to correct any misconception that the good people of New Zealand might have from listening to those people over there who try to imply that this country is made up of a bunch of lushes. We are not saying that. New Zealanders do not spend their life drinking sherry and that other stuff. That levy was about protecting young people and about making sure they can make a contribution to the future of New Zealand—a New Zealand that has been made stronger by this Labour Government. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I advise all members of the House that the Green Party is going to split its call.