2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterCHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister2. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes including the package that came in on 1 April and will see 1.4 million New Zealanders' incomes boosted as we confront cost of living challenges. This is in addition to the moves we made last month to reduce fuel excise by 25c a litre for three months with road-user charge changes coming before the House this week also. We know there is no easy fix to the challenges presented by the COVID recovery supply constraints and the war in Ukraine but the Government is doing what we can to support Kiwis through.Christopher Luxon: Does she agree that whenever her Government decides to spend more of taxpayers' hard-earned money they have a responsibility to actually deliver better outcomes?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course we have a responsibility to do our very best as a Government through trying times to ensure that we are lifting the outcomes be it across wellbeing outcomes be it across economic outcomes. This has been our focus the entire time we've been in office. Christopher Luxon: How has the Government managed to spend $1.9 billion more on mental health but after three years has delivered no change in access to acute and specialist mental health services" and is this an acceptable outcome for spending that much taxpayer money?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: If I track back to the direct ask that was made of Government when we came into office where there was a crisis across the board on mental health the very specific focus that came from those who had experience of the system and those who worked in the system was the complete absence of primary mental health care. That was adding to extra pressure on acute needs. That is why we have built a primary mental health system for the first time in New Zealand's history. It is providing tens of thousands of appointments for New Zealanders who previously had no access to early mental health support. At the same time we know we need to continue to build the tertiary and acute care. It's a particular focus of ours on building the workforce which in some cases takes up to five years to create.Christopher Luxon: Can she explain how the funds she announced for mental health services for tertiary students have spent $4 million but only delivered 304 counselling sessions and is $13000 per session an acceptable outcome for spending taxpayers' money?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Calculating based on the entirety of a programme of care across providers by those early counselling sessions that have been provided is exactly the reason that that member's party in office did nothing to support tertiary students to support young people to create primary mental health care. If that is the way we calculate care in this community for mental health needs that explains why there was no investment before us. We have provided Piki Ora in conjunction with the Green Party and Mana Ake across primary and intermediate schools across Christchurch across Kaikōura and now into the West Coast Counties Manukau and Northland. We've provided primary mental health care for New Zealanders across the country. We are now providing rainbow communities with the mental health care that they need through specialist providers and now we are also providing youth care through increased support through youth helplines and through tertiary education. These services didn't exist before.Christopher Luxon: Why despite spending an extra $30000 per prisoner compared to 2018 has there been a steep reduction in the number of prisoners accessing rehabilitation services and is this an acceptable outcome for spending more taxpayer money?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again very crude analysis here. If you divide the cost of spending and there are fewer prisoners then the cost per prisoner goes up. If the member wants to achieve economies of scale in corrections by having more people in prison that explains why that Government when they were in office started building a mega prison. When we came into office we said that is not the kind of style of corrections service New Zealanders want. There will not be American-style mega prisons on our watch. We will also not invest in rehabilitation programmes that are sometimes eight hours long and call it a success. We've invested in programmes that work and that reduce reoffending and—proof is in the pudding—reduce the number of people in prison.Christopher Luxon: Does she agree that a 40 percent increase in spending on police that has failed to prevent a more than 40 percent increase in gang membership or a 21 percent increase in violent crime is not an acceptable outcome for spending that much more taxpayer money?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member now seems to be telling his own party that he doesn't support an increase in police because that is what we've done. We have increased the number of front-line officers and that means we now have more police officers on the beat than we've ever had before. We now have 700 police officers working solely in the organised crime unit—more than we have ever had before. And if the member on that side doesn't support that growth in police numbers that's for him to answer for.Christopher Luxon: How can taxpayers have any confidence that the record $6 billion of their money she is planning to announce in new spending at the Budget will return any sort of value given her Government's 4.5-year record of spending more but delivering worse outcomes?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: A 3.2 percent unemployment rate in the middle of a one-in-100-year economic crisis; some of the lowest debt relative to other countries in the OECD that you will have seen—we have supported New Zealanders through a health and economic crisis that yes meant we had to invest but kept people in work. At the same time we have overseen a lift in incomes for our lowest-income New Zealanders and a once-in-a-generation increase in welfare. We have nine of the child poverty indicators tracking down—60000 fewer children in poverty than when that member had his party in Government. I could speak at great length about what we have done in office to repair the damage of that time in office by the National Party so if the member wants to ask more patsies I would welcome it. Christopher Luxon: Ha ha—classic! Why at a time where the cost of living is soaring and Kiwi households are making tough decisions about their own spending priorities does her Government refuse to do the same thing when it comes to spending taxpayers' hard-earned money? Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We do that every single day. The member's proposal for instance is demonstrating where his priorities are; that when it comes to taxpayer's money he would rather for instance spend a billion dollars giving those on $180000 or more—and those who own investment properties—a tax break than put it in health or education. That's his priority."