Pillay Lynne: Budget Debate 
Pillay Lynne: Budget Debate 
[Volume:626;Page:20918] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 I am proud to stand today to speak in support of this Budget. It is about working for New Zealand: for families for our older citizens for young people for business for workers and in fact for all New Zealanders. Unlike National’s view of the world or its so-called strategy—if we ever see one—our Budget builds on the most exciting initiative that this Government has introduced since coming into office. It continues with whopping investments in business job growth health education and support for families and superannuitants training and apprenticeships transport police and justice and savings. This Budget works for New Zealand. Under this Budget New Zealand families will be helped to get ahead and it will provide extra security for the future. It builds on the progress we have made in rebuilding our public health system and our education. There is extra support for our businesses and for families with children. 
One of the major programmes in this year’s Budget that I am particularly proud of is the Working for Families package. This package helps low and modest income families and families with children through increases in their family support help with the cost of childcare and increased assistance through the accommodation supplement. Already this year family support has increased by $25 for the first child and $15 a week for each additional child. In the coming year there are more increases in family support and childcare subsidies to help cover the costs of raising Kiwi families. By April 2007 our families on incomes between $25000 and $45000 per year will be an average of $95 to $100 better off a week. Compare that with the tax cuts that National is offering. 
In education there will be more teachers and funding for schools than ever before. Since 1999 the Government has increased school funding by an average of $348 per child—almost 15 percent in real terms. We have also increased the number of teachers by 2700 over and above the numbers required by school roll growth. From 2006 we expect to increase the number of teachers by a further 421 teachers. 
Budget 2005 continues the huge investment that we have made to make sure that more children can access quality early childhood education. We are increasing funding to existing centres and will build up to an extra 65 more centres in areas in need of those centres. From July 2007 all 3 and 4-year-olds will be eligible for 20 hours’ free community-based education per week in early childhood centres. That is great for our kids’ future and it is great for their parents. 
Whilst talking about education I have to mention that the investment of $60 million in information technology in schools is an increase of nearly 1800 percent since 1988 to 1999 when only $3.2 million was spent during that time. 
So it is all good news under this Budget and I cannot go past the KiwiSaver scheme. To incentivise saving for our families and in fact for all our citizens whether they are on benefits self-employed or working for wages this Government will kick-start savings schemes with $1000 upfront to a scheme nominated by the employee—a portable scheme that will help people to save for their superannuation and the future. But what is just as important if not more important is that for first homebuyers those savings can be put towards the purchase of their first house. To incentivise and to help that along this Government will give $1000 per year of saving. For a young couple who has saved for 5 years that means this Government will give them $10000 towards their homeownership. That is great for young people. People of my age and older can remember the start we had through the State Advances loan and I think that this savings scheme will go a long way to make housing more affordable for our young people. 
We cannot go past looking at our primary health strategy. Through our primary health organisations we are already subsidising under-18-year-olds those aged 65-plus and from July we will be increasing subsidies for all 18 to 24-year-olds. From there we will continue to roll out cheaper health-care to cover all New Zealanders by 2007. 
 I was at a family function in my electorate very recently and I talked to a young couple with their first child. They were really pleased with this Government. They had paid parental leave they were receiving $60 per week through Working for Families and their child had been immunised. Can members imagine their delight when I told them what else is to come. Under the Working for Families package there will be more money over the next few years cheaper health-care 4 weeks’ leave 20 hours’ free childcare per week $1000 towards saving and up to $10000 towards their new home. They were really chuffed about that. 
This Budget also lifts funding for older people in residential care by over $80 million this year on top of the $60 million that was announced in December and the money that will cover the changes to the Holidays Act which have added a small cost as we deliver more holidays for workers in this country. Also for our older citizens we are phasing out National’s asset testing and from next year many superannuitants will get rate rebates. 
Under a Labour-led Government we have seen a dramatic drop in unemployment. That means more jobs. There was 7.4 percent unemployment and it is now 3.8 percent. This does not happen by chance. This happens by investing in skills investing in training and investing in people. 
Lesley Soper 
: Good management. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: That is right. It is good management. Funding for industry training overall has gone up this year to $120.5 million. That is up over 100 percent from what was spent in 1999 by a National Government. Let us not go past the Modern Apprenticeships scheme. By December 2006 9000 young people will be in apprenticeships. 
In Waitakere we celebrate job growth in boatbuilding vineyards film making and our traditional industries. We celebrate our great skills. We celebrate early childhood education our art and our music. We celebrate our young people in training. We celebrate our new hospital. All of this has happened under a Labour-led Government. 
Added to that is the huge investment in transport and infrastructure. There is more money for nurses higher police numbers and the lowest crime rate in 22 years. There is real support for business. There is cheaper and more affordable tertiary education for students. We are rebuilding our housing stock which National flogged off. We know we can afford it because we are doing it. 
All of this would be up for grabs from National with its mantra of tax cuts. Remember the 1990s? Who won then? National wants to give tax cuts and a few bucks extra—what will go? Will it make cuts to early childhood education to schools to tertiary education to training to apprenticeships to superannuation to health and to police and with that will it have more borrowing from overseas? I can see on the benches opposite those members of the National Party bowing their heads in shame. This Budget takes us forward. National is trying to drag us backwards and we will not let that happen.